The World Economic Forum (WEF) releases a yearly global gender gap index that measures the degree of gender equality in a country based on a number of factors including wage gaps and participation in the workforce. In 2018, Japan was ranked 110 out of 149 countries. By comparison, the U.S. came in at 51st and the Philippines was ranked 8th out of all of the countries ranked. This index reveals that the gender disparity gap in Japan is currently the largest out of any other G7 nation. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe boasts that the participation of women in the Japanese workforce is currently at an all-time high — higher than in the U.S. even. However, the numbers show that the quality of work and financial compensation for women in Japan is not good enough. There are several factors that have led to this, including traditional patriarchal values where men are still expected to be the primary bread winners in the household. It is because of this that only about half of women in Japan actually return to work after marrying and having children.
It’s no secret that Japan’s society is aging. Fertility rates are at an all time low. Japan needs more people in the labor force now — especially in fields such as nursing and care-taking for the elderly. However, the current political climate in Japan is resistant to allowing an increase in migrant workers in order to fill in the gaps. Instead, Abe thinks boosting women’s participation in the workforce is one of the best options available to combat the effects of increasing labor shortages. In 2013 a series of economic reforms were rolled out in order to combat Japan’s long stagnant economic development. Part of these reforms included tackling some of the problems that prevent women from returning to the workforce after having children. “Womenomics” acknowledges that working mothers not only need support in order to return to work but also need increased opportunities to participate in leadership positions. Studies show that it is only ever a good thing for economic potential when both men and women are equally participating in the workforce.
🇯🇵 The number of working women in Japan has increased by 2 million between 2015 and 2018: That’s a fundamental cultural shift that will generate benefits for years to come.
— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) March 8, 2019
However, there’s still a lot of work to be done #IWD2019 https://t.co/Rm1oTUvfSM pic.twitter.com/Z6KMpew69s
Although there are more women participating in the workforce in Japan than ever before, they still aren’t being adequately represented in managerial positions or in politics. Currently, only 10% of the members of the lower house are women. Additionally, although women are now working more hours outside of the home, there has been no real change in their existing household responsibilities. Women will take on the lion’s share of domestic chores while men continue to spend little time at home. Studies show that women who work full time still usually spend about 25 additional hours a week on completing household chores. Women are often passed up for promotion because they are not able to spend as many hours on the job as men because of their additional child rearing responsibilities.
Ambitious plans with catchy names aiming to revitalize the economy are proving to not be enough when it comes to tackling the true source of gender disparity in Japan. There is a need for immediate cultural change in order to alleviate some of the effects of an increasingly aged society. This includes a need to re-examine the way traditionally masculine and feminine roles are viewed in Japan. Men need to start spending more time at home helping with child rearing and domestic chores if women are ever to have a chance to catch up. Studies have shown that working excessive overtime is neither productive or an efficient use of time spent. Fortunately, it does appear that there is hope for change in the near future. When surveyed, 60% of couples in their 20s claimed that men and women both equally share the burden of household responsibilities. It may take time to adequately close existing gaps in gender roles and expectations in Japan, but surely it is not an impossible task.
