This book provides a comparative account of women's employment in Japan and Germany, situating the miracle economies of the post-war years within the context of other advanced economies. Beginning with the formal independence of both countries in 1952 through to the period of high unemployment and low growth in the 1990s, Gender, Growth and Trade examines the role of women as a flexible, contingent workforce. Using quantitative techniques with an emphasis on the importance of labour market institutions and other historical determinants of gender outcomes, the issues explored include: * The role of labour market flexibility and the importance of broader macroeconomic factors in accounting for the current differences in unemployment and employment growth among the OECD countries. * The effects of reunification on men & women's employment in the former East Germany, comparing the levels of childcare provision and women's labour force participation in East and West. * The viability of the Japanese system of labour-management relations in the current recession in Japan * How labour dualism along gender lines plays a central role in keeping Japanese unemployment rates low and contributes to economic growth. * The impact of trade expansion between developed and developing countries on women's employment.