In Japan, transitioning from education to employment remains a significant challenge, particularly for women who complete their education at the high school level. Support is essential for these young women, who often face intersecting disadvantages―such as generational, academic, and gender barriers―in securing stable employment.

　Currently, most Japanese high-school students secure jobs through school-mediated placement systems, where their schools directly coordinate employment opportunities with companies. However, recent discussions have advocated for reducing the scale of this system by encouraging greater participation from private employment placement agencies. It has also been proposed that school-mediated systems should primarily focus on students who require substantial extensive support from teachers or those who struggle to find employment early on.

　Existing research has not sufficiently addressed the relationship between reducing these school-mediated systems and gender. This study investigates these dynamics by focusing on the strength of linkages between high schools and companies.

　Conventionally familiar linkages between high schools and companies have been termed “strong linkages,” and those that do not fit the characteristics thereof “weak linkages.” The paper analyzes the relationships of linkage strength with the support provided by teachers for students in need and with the gender of high school students who have used school-mediated systems. Data on career paths from five high schools and interviews with 15 teachers were used for the analysis.

　The findings reveal several key points. First, teachers prioritize strong linkages to support students requiring significant guidance or those unable to secure employment early on. Second, female students are less likely than male students to utilize strong linkages. Third, this discrepancy arises because female students often aim for jobs in industries dominated by women, which tend to involve weaker linkages. Fourth, in some cases, teachers have taken proactive steps to expand access to strong linkages for female students. However, these efforts are frequently influenced by male studentsʼ job-seeking activities.

　If support for high school students from private employment agencies increases, schools will primarily use strong linkages to provide job placements, which could make it even more difficult for girls to take advantage of school support. A gender perspective is necessary when discussing the employment status of high school students. In addition, high schools should review the specific content of their employment support and career education from a gender-based perspective.