A study of self-employment careers focusing on family structure, gender and labour market

Self-employers are those employers who own their own businesses or who run family-run businesses. According to the World Bank collection of development indicators, the number of self-employers in Japan has been steadily declining in the last 50 years. Dr Ichiro Hirao, Assistant Professor of the Respect Program at Osaka University, is carrying out research into self-employment with a focus on family structure, gender and the labour market. The findings will shine a light on why self-employment in Japan has declined over the past few decades.