dido comments

Geeter MckluskieToday  07:58 pm JST

"However, while individual success stories of women in Japan achieving academic and professional milestones are great and to be commended, they do not negate the pervasive gender disparities in the country."

Looking deeper into those "pervasive gender disparities" one often finds disparities in comparison metrics, such as how many women actually choose a life of politics or as stated in an earlier comment the fact that 1/3 of women choose to be homemakers despite having attained a high level of education.

Japanese women ARE wonderful and deserve to have THEIR choices respected

That there are many men with these attitudes in Japan makes me less hopeful for significant change in Japan.

You are trying to put all Japanese women in the same box – they all have different dreams and skills!

It's also not fair to say that anyone, man or woman, can speak for every woman in the whole country.

There are many reasons why some Japanese women choose to be housewives. Maybe it's what their families expect, or maybe they don't have as many job options as men. This pressure to follow traditional roles can make it harder for women to do what they really want.

Ultimately, every woman, no matter where she's from, should be able to choose her own path in life. People who say all Japanese women want to be housewives might be forgetting that everyone wants to be in charge of their own lives, not just men! For things to be truly fair, these old-fashioned ideas need to change, and everyone should have the same chances to reach for their dreams.

Geeter MckluskieToday  07:26 pm JST

"You might not like these reports but if you live in Japan and have a daughter or wife, you want them to at least take this seriously and participate in improving the situation."

My eldest daughter is on full scholarship at University of Tsukuba. She's already been offered a 6 figure salary at a pharmaceutical company upon graduation. What women should take seriously is their choices in life. Japan has plenty of opportunities for women who go into STEM fields. Those who choose to be homemakers will end up on the low end of the scale of the myopic WEF's surveys that are trotted out once every three months or so, but anyone who has spent any length of time in Japan knows "homemaker" is the Queen Bee in Japan...as it should be as "homemaker" is the most important "job" in society.

Seriously, that is awesome that your daughter has done well in Japan, and I'm sure, as a dad of a daughter myself, you played a big part in her success. Well done to your daughter.

However, while individual success stories of women in Japan achieving academic and professional milestones are great and to be commended, they do not negate the pervasive gender disparities in the country.

Despite high levels of educational attainment, women in Japan still face significant challenges such as the gender pay gap, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and barriers to career advancement. Traditional gender roles and cultural expectations often result in women bearing a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, limiting their ability to participate in the workforce fully.

Addressing these systemic issues requires comprehensive efforts to promote gender equality, challenge cultural norms, and create more inclusive workplaces. While celebrating individual achievements, it's crucial to recognize the broader societal need for change to empower women and achieve true gender equality in Japan.

Japanese women are wonderful, but they deserve much more than what they have right now in Japan.

wolfshineToday  05:10 pm JST

Look, I am absolutely not afraid of giving Japan fair criticism where criticism is due. This country has a lot of problems that it will need to address in the coming years and I certainly don't think we should shy away from calling them out when needed.

However, the World Economic Forum, perhaps once perceived as a reputable institution long ago, has lost its credibility in recent years and has rightfully come under fire for its rather dubious intentions and also the extent of their political influence.

I looked at the report. I immediately noticed that ranked above Japan there are several countries notorious for having serious problems with sexual violence. In theory, analyzing discrepancies related to partcipation in business or politics makes sense, but in practice it ends up being this mess of obviously cherry picked data intended to produce a specific type of outcome.

You cannot convince me Kazakhstan, Romania, Zimbabwe, and Serbia are treating women better than Japan is. Maybe among urban elites they have more political and economic participation rates, but how do you even measure what is going on outside of what those country's governments are willing to show you? I imagine in the rural parts of those countries equality has not advanced very much since their ages of industrialization, if at all.

Reports like this are counter productive and actually do more to cover for gender inequality than anything else. WEF is trash and no one should trust or support them.

Reality bites.

Kazakhstan, Romania, etc. and Japan are ranked similarly in global gender equality reports due to comparable poor female economic participation, political representation, and traditional gender roles that limit women's opportunities.

You might not like these reports but if you live in Japan and have a daughter or wife, you want them to at least take this seriously and participate in improving the situation.