GENDER GAP IN JAPAN
What are the issues and how can we solve them?
Current Status
Issues
Potential Solutions
Current Status
What is the current status of gender gap in Japan?
Issues
What are the causes of the gender gap?
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
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Familial/ Societal Expectation
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"There is still strong expectation to become a bread-winning husband & stay-at-home moms. Quite different from plural definitions of partnership I saw in France"
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"The fact that my parents were true partners helped me shape how I view gender roles today. For instance, my father would question his mother when she asked certain tasks to my mother based on gender norm. ("She went to Todai too. Why do I expect her to do household chores just because she is a woman?)"
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"Simple use of words like "minatoku jyoshi" "jyoshiryoku" also reflect the current societal expectation."
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Limited Awareness
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Many of us did not realize the current status as an issue until we were exposed to different norms in different countries
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When asked about the imbalance of household workload in a study, many Japanese women said that they felt “guilty” of asking since men have long working hours
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ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL
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Leadership positions dominated by men
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"Those who are in power tend to assume that others are incentivized in the same way and define success in narrow terms. They may just not be aware that people have different needs."
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"The company policies are created for men. My company also found that men were evaluated 30% higher on average compared to women."
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"If women leave the company or university, they will use them as a way NOT to accept women, rather than being a part of solution to the issue."
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Lack of supporting structure
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"In a study, men interviewed commented that they felt sorry for taking parental leave as it might cause trouble for the team members"
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"US companies subsidize various healthcare related costs (e.g., egg fertilization at Uber) and allow flexible working opportunities, but in Japan, many female-related healthcare medicines/ vaccines are more difficult to get.
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Limited support from senior women
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"They went through tougher environment, so they may think the current situation for women is “amazing enough”
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Potential Solutions
What might be some ways to address the issues?
Top-down
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Management/ Investors commitment
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"If you try to fix the firm while you are not senior enough, it could backfire on you."
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"Bain Tokyo's Managing Director is well-known for the top-down approach on gender issues."
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Implement policies to support both men and women
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Flexible working hours, using productivity as measurement of work, will benefit both gender
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If there is a gap between policies and practices, one could implement mandatory policies
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Position this as a business issue, not just as a moral imperative
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Many research has shown economic value generated by women, e.g., World Economic Forum, Women in the workplace report from McKinsey
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There are costs for not supporting women. (e.g., the opportunity cost due to women’s menstrual symptoms is estimated to be ~ 50 Bn yen per year.)
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"Shukkoku shijyo" - more women are deciding to leave Japan to find a better opportunity
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Focus on a few policies that work
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"Better for the government to identify a few policies that their involvement is needed & effective rather than implementing various initiatives which become “tick-the-box” exercises for companies"
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Bottom Up
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Micro-sponsorship
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When you notice an incidence of gender stereotype, try to call it out (especially when you see someone does it repeatedly)
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Try to use gender-neutral words
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In a meeting, try to support other women
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Have a conversation with your partner to define and develop egalitarian relationship
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“Perfectly equal split of responsibilities at home may not be a solution. It could be daunting for women to be a breadwinner. Some would rather want to take more work for their family than working.”
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While the challenges are daunting, try to reframe the issue in a positive way
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“Raising my children was an amazing experience for me. I highly encourage other working women to do so.”
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“I loved taking 2 years off from work and spend time with my children.”
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Join a movement, make it a new norm
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"You don’t need to start a movement; helping others will make a movement into a new norm"
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One powerful move is not enough (e.g, Koizumi's parental leave resulted in backlash too)
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But don’t sacrifice yourself – if you see opportunity elsewhere, there are things you can do for Japan from outside
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