October 9, 2013

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Wages of working women in Japan amount to 2,680,000 yen a year on average. This amount equates to only 53.2% of the 5,040,000 yen male workers annually earn on average. Japan is at the top of the list among OECD nations in regard to the gender gap in wages.

According to a World Economic Forum report on gender equality, Japan ranked 101st among 135 countries in 2012, dropping from its previous place of 98th. Gender imbalance or discrimination against women in Japan is a disgrace. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has expressed concern over disparities in wages and other discriminatory treatment in Japan in regard to women. In response to the UN recommendation, the Japanese government should earnestly work on rectifying the situation.

In the middle of the ongoing full-time job scarcity, more and more women have become part-timers or temps whose job conditions are worse than that of regular employees. Data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications shows that a record-high of 57.5% of the female workforce are now contingent workers. Even with full-time positions, many women have to accept lower positions while men can enter the main career track. Such a gender inequality in wages and promotion is a basic cause of low women’s wages. If they do obtain a general managerial track, it is extremely difficult for them to work the long hours and ensure both family life and career advancement under conditions that may require job transfers and relocation.

About 60% of working women have to give up continuing their careers because of difficulty in balancing family and work responsibilities when they get pregnant or after giving birth. The government calls for men’s participation in childrearing but the rate of working men who take child leave is only 1.89%. One in every five men in their 30s, the prime child-raising years, works 60 hours a week. They have no time to take part in childrearing due to the pressure of keeping their job positions based on the performance-based wage system.

Prime Minister Abe calls for an active use of women in the workforce but his position does not include measures to redress unreasonable discrimination against women, especially in wages and work status. Rather than solving the problems, Abe intends to use women as a source of cheap labor to meet the interests of business circles seeking to use them to cover shortages in the workforce caused by the declining birthrate.