Gendered pathways: The relationship between portable skills from fields of study and labor market outcomes in Japan

Abstract While social scientists have increasingly focused on the relationship between fields of study and labor market outcomes, our understanding of how men and women differ in the utilization of college major skills at work and how such differences are linked to labor market outcomes remains limited. To fill this gap, I use nationally representative cross‐sectional data from Japan to examine how fields that offer portable skills, which are beneficial across different employers, are related to earnings and employment likelihood. Results from ordinary least squares regression and Heckman two‐stage models indicate that fields offering portable skills, such as medicine and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), have a positive association with earnings for both genders. Moreover, results from linear probability models suggest that law/business, medicine, and STEM have a positive relationship with employment status among women. The relationship is stronger for women than men, showing no differences between mothers with young children (0–5 years) and nonmothers. These findings indicate that acquiring portable skills through education makes women's careers more compatible with their family responsibilities. Considering the increasing salience of fields of study in the world of work, these findings provide important insights into the interplay between gender, higher education, and labor market stratification in Japan.