Japan’s 121st gender equality ranking reveals lack of female leadership

Japan came in 121st in a recent global gender equality ranking conducted by the World Economic Forum. This means Japan ranked even worse than it did previously and is currently the lowest among the Group of Seven countries. What does this tell us about the current state of gender equality in Japan?

Above all, it indicates the severe lack of female leadership. The report gives a scorecard to each country and ranks them based on various factors. While Japan ranks well in some categories, such as literacy rate and life expectancy, it ranks abysmally in terms of female political leadership and economic participation.

The breakdown reflects traditional attitudes towards gender roles and the kinds of opportunities available for women. The worldwide average for female representation in politics is 25% for lower chambers of assemblies and 21% for Cabinet members. In Japan, these numbers are 10.1 and 5.3, respectively.

It’s difficult for women to achieve higher positions in life when they face traditional attitudes and systemic barriers to success. Besides low representation in politics, women are also underrepresented in managerial positions in companies. Career track jobs are either not available to women or have hurdles, such as poor work-life balance, that make them unappealing.

Regardless of what women achieve in the public or private sectors, they are still subject to expectations and comments that they should focus on getting married and having children instead of anything else. In reality, some female politicians in Japan have been through such experiences, even publicly. There are constant roadblocks for women who want to make their lives better and contribute to society.

Japan coming in 121st in the World Economic Forum’s gender equality ranking reveals certain realities of the gender gap in Japan. While the country ranks high in some important factors, the lack of opportunities for advancement for women is a huge issue which can affect many other aspects of women’s lives. Traditional attitudes towards gender roles is arguably one of the causes.

The lack of advancement opportunities is not just a problem in and of itself. It can have ripple effects on the kinds of choices that women make in their lives and work. Women may not pursue certain jobs because they’re still expected to balance their careers with housework, which is an expectation their male partners don’t have to the same degree.

A lack of women in leadership roles also means a lack of female role models. Not having clear examples of women leaders could be discouraging for some who want to climb the ranks at work or in politics themselves.

The issue of gender equality plays out differently in each country. Despite Japan’s high ranking in other categories, there still needs to be more effort to promote female leadership and remove the obstacles preventing women from taking these roles.