Japan Press Weekly

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2012 November 21 - 27 [LABOR]

Women endure more exploitative working conditions (Part 2)

Older women workers encounter more sexual discrimination in their workplaces, according to a labor union’s latest survey on gender equality in the labor field.

In the survey conducted in 2011 by the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), those regular women workers who said they have felt gender discrimination cited 18.5% in placement, 19.5% in promotion, and 13% in wages. The respective rates among those in their 50s were 22.3%, 27.2%, and 18%.

Among non-regular women employees, those who feel gender discrimination in wages amounted to 23.9%. The rate of 32.1% was found in women between 45 and 49 years of age.

Respondents who said they have experienced sexual harassment at work amounted to 16.6%, down from 28.1% in the previous survey in 2007.

The 2007 revision of the Law for Equal Employment Opportunity of Men and Women required employers to take necessary measures for eradication of sexual harassment. The decrease of the rate may reflect the increasing awareness of sexual harassment.

Meanwhile, regular/non-regular women workers who have suffered power harassment totaled 23.4%. The rate among regular employees was nearly twice as high as that in the 2007 survey.

Related past articles
>Women endure more exploitative working conditions (Part 1) [November 15, 16, 20, 2012]