Japan

The Japanese wage system is base on family wage. When a man has a wife and children, he receives additional payment to support them. The family wage is paid only when the wife has no income or income less than 1,030,000 yen (about US $10,300) per year. If she earns this amount or less, she need not pay state tax and local government tax, and she is also exempted from the pension reserve fund. In addition, she can get 70 percent of husband's estate, if he had any fortune, after his death. Although the system was originally gender neutral, in almost all cases, women have lower wages or no income. This system eventually supports full-time housewives with no income. The taxation and wage system strengthens the attitude that women need not work full-time or at all because their husbands should support them. This system is based on the recognition of women's role in the family and their nonpaid work at home. The results are a wider gender gap in wage and fixed social roles for women and men. This system also rationalizes the lower wage for women in workforce.