Quite a convincing argument put forward at The Atlantic that all of the "employment flexibility" beloved of the parts of the Right, and which has caused major changes to the way men (in particular) work in Japan, is behind that country's dramatic drop in marriage and making babies.
Update: I think it's often fair enough to be cynical of the way Australian unionists and Labor politicians talk about the importance of strongly enforced workplace laws so that workers can have a work/life balance, as well as penalty rates fairly compensating workers for time away from family on weekends, etc. They can over-egg the argument.
On the other hand, if you look at a country where companies can get away with extraordinary pressure on workers, and implement policies that maximise profit, you can see the harm that removing all sense of employment fairness entails.
were they divorced from reality?
ReplyDeleteRead Matt Yglesias's article. A bewdt
A friend recently told that some major corporations in Japan are trying to change their organisational culture, even offering huge bonuses for those who have children. Too late and Japan is the canary in the goldmine here, most other advanced nations face a similiar problem.
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