Inequality in Japanese Education

Masakazu Hojo

Japanese Economy, 2009, vol. 36, issue 3, 3-27

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to quantitatively express the inequalities in Japan's educational system and to verify trends in the recent past. Since the 1950s, the rate of advancement to middle and high school has continued to increase, as has the average number of years of schooling per capita. However, few if any studies have addressed whether or not education is distributed equitably against this trend toward higher education. In this study, the Gini coefficient for years of schooling is determined using census data in order to measure the degree of inequality in education. Factors that cause change over time are examined and gender, age groups, and districts in Japan are compared. The results show that (1) the degree of inequality in the distribution of education in Japan is declining overall; however, the trend toward greater equality is not occurring in a uniform manner; (2) education is more fairly distributed for females than for males; and (3) the relationship between average years of schooling and the Gini education coefficient is an inverted-U shape.

Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mes:jpneco:v:36:y:2009:i:3:p:3-27

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DOI: 10.2753/JES1097-203X360301

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