Gender Inequality in Japan

Japan is one of the world’s biggest economy. However, equality between the sexes continues to slump far behind other countries in the developed world. Over the past twenty years, the Japanese government has formulated a variety of policies aimed at creating a Japanese society that prevents inequality between men and women. Unfortunately, the country’s inability to change societal norms has been one of the largest obstacles to actualizing a country without inequality between men and women.

Some may argue that Japan has a deep rooted history when it comes to gender roles that must be played by both men and women; consequently, this makes it difficult to forge a path in which women have as much of an opportunity to lead a company, continue working after having a child, and seeking what could be considered justice pertaining to sexual violence, rape and domestic abuse.

Table of contents

• Statistics related to Gender Inequality in the World and Japan
• Case studies on Gender Inequality in Japan
• Gender Equality is a trending term in Japan
• 4 Japanese organizations promoting Gender Equality

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Statistics related to Gender Inequality in the World and Japan

• Women in Japan make a whopping 24.5% less than men, making it one of the widest among advanced and economic nations. (IMF)
• Japan ranks 19th out of 188 countries within the Gender Inequality Index. This ranking system uses three factors when calculating its rankings: reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. (UNDP)
• Nearly one-third of woman experience physical or sexual abuse during their lifetimes (Japan Times).
• Japan had 601 reported rape cases in the first half of 2016, which was a 26% increase during the same period of the previous year. This coincided with an amendment the Penal Code regarding, which expanded the definition on the meaning of rape in the country. (Mainichi)
• The Geena Davis Institute calculated that from the 120 theatrical releases between 2010 and 2013 and found that only 30.9% of speaking or named characters were women, while men made up the other 69.1%.
• Japan has the third highest gender wage gap within the OECD, which has 37 different members from around the world. (OECD)
• According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2020 rankings, Iceland takes the number one spot while Yemen comes in dead last. (WEF)
• In 2019, only 10.2% of women comprised Japan’s house of representatives, and the country ranked 165th out of 193 countries in the Women in Parliament 2018 report. (Inter-Parliamentary Union)
• According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, a global 40.6% of tertiary education enrollees are women. (World Bank)

Case studies on Gender Inequality in Japan

Maternity Harassment

Japan is no stranger when it comes to maternity harassment in Japan. Reports concerning women who were pressured to resign from work are not uncommon within the country. Known as matahara in Japan, this form of discrimination is defined by a workplace’s view on mothers or women who are expecting. Matahara takes place in the workplace far more often than is initially reported.

Although the Japanese government has taken strides to make such acts illegal, the enforcement of this law may be prevented due to societal norms within the country. For example, if a woman who is expecting asks for a reduction of working hours, she is well within her legal right to request such a reduction. However, many companies often find ways to either demote or fire expectant mothers without fear of the law. According to a 2015 survey released by the Japanese Trade Union Consideration, one in five women experience some form of maternity harassment at work.

Japan’s definition of Sexual Violence

Japan’s definition on rape and sexual violence remained much of the same for more than a century. The amendment to the penal code in 2017 was one of Japan’s first significant change regarding sexual violence since 1907.

The minimum penalty for forced sexual intercourse was change from three years’ imprisonment to five. Moreover, one of the largest changes brought to to the Penal Code was Japan’s inclusion of men as rape victims; before this amendment, rape victims only included women, which meant men were unable to file rape charges as a victim.

Although these were considered heavy changes to the Penal Code, many victims are still demanding justice for crimes that are given light sentences. An example could be Shiori Ito’s landmark civil court case in which she alleges that high profile journalist Noriyuki Yamaguchi raped her while she was unconscious. Although she won her case and was awarded a sum for damages, no official charges have been brought against Yamaguchi.

Paternity Leave

Japan boasts some of the longest paternity leave in the world, lagging only behind South Korea. Although this may be true, it is estimated that only 1 out of 20 men actually use it.

Although it’s within the legal right for men to take that time off, most men opt out of doing so. As mentioned above, gender roles in society have a major impact in the way most Japanese people conduct their lives. It is still widely expected that men remain at work and mothers stay home to care for their newborn children. Many men also cite that staying home might create a bad atmosphere in the office, as more work and time will be allocated to another colleague or member of staff.

“Gender Equality” is a trending term in Japan

Fortunately, awareness for gender equality has been rising in Japan. This is thanks to grassroots movement like the #MeToo, #KuToo and Flower Demo, which is giving voice to the sexual inequalities and violence in Japan. More people are searching for the term for “gender equality”, along with a strong relationship to the sustainable development goals.

4 Japanese organizations promoting Gender Equality

Matahara Net – Matahara Net is an organization within Japan that aims to organize complains and information from women in order to stamp out inequality and harassment within the workplace.

Flower Demo – Flower demo is a national grassroots movement that grew out of anger over controversial rulings pertaining to sexual misconduct. The group comprises mainly of women, while some men are also present at protests and rallies around Japan.

Working Women’s Network – The Working Women’s Network is an organization dedicated to fighting inequality in the workplace.

National Women’s Education Center – The National Women’s Education Center is an independent organization that aims to not only promote, but build a gender equality in Society.