February 26, 2021

Japan ranked 80th, the lowest among G7 countries, in an annual report on the ranking of 190 countries and regions in terms of gender equality in economic rights which the World Bank released on February 23. This put on clear display the slow progress Japan’s efforts toward gender equality has been.

The report was compiled based on the results of a survey conducted between September 2019 and October 2020 of 190 countries and regions regarding their legal systems and rules regarding women’s rights in eight fields, such as employment and child rearing.

Japan dropped from the 74th position in the previous report as it was rated low in the wage gap assessment and the workplace gender equality assessment focusing on legal systems banning harassment and sexual discrimination in workplaces.

The report cited the fact that in Japan, the percentage of male workers who took childcare leave in 2019 was only 7.5%. It stressed that in order to realize gender equality, the sharing of the burden of work-family balance is vital.

Past related articles:
> Abe gov’t departs from its 30% target for women in leadership roles by 2020 [July 27, 2020]
> Japan drops to record-low of 121st place in global gender equality ranking [December 18, 2019]