Introduction: Women's careers in the midst of diversifying change.

This article discusses the topic of women's careers in Japan, focusing on the diversifying changes that have occurred since the 1940s. The article highlights various disciplines that have contributed to the study of women's careers, including labor economics, social psychology, and pedagogy. It also mentions several specific studies that have been conducted on women's careers in Japan, covering topics such as career formation, maternity leave, and the impact of women's work on family life. The article includes a special issue that explores different aspects of women's careers within the context of these diversifying changes. The issue covers topics such as mentoring, beauty product salespeople, gender integration in the military, female entrepreneurs, labor migration, and career development in consumer movements. The article concludes by noting that these diversifying changes have had both positive and negative impacts on women's lives, with increased autonomy and control simultaneously occurring. [Extracted from the article]