Japan Press Weekly

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2015 March 4 - 10 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Japanese women on International Women’s Day renew resolve to work for gender equality

Akahata ’current’ column

A union survey has found that one in four working women around the country suffered from discriminatory treatment due to pregnancy and childbirth, so-called “maternity harassment”, including demotion and forced resignation.

Many women are facing discrimination in the workplace just because they want to have a baby. Osakabe Sayaka, who has been working to support these women and to raise public awareness about the issue, won the International Women of Courage Award 2015. Her contribution to women’s rights and gender equality achieved international recognition.

When Osakabe was working at a company, she had a miscarriage after facing “maternity harassment” from her boss. Seeking to prevent further victims, Osakabe launched a website titled, “Matahara Net”, with the aim of influencing the government and the general public to change the situation. She said, “Japan is lagging far behind international standards in this regard. I hope that winning the award will provide opportunities for Japanese workers to reflect on and improve their working environment.”

Japan’s level of gender equality is the lowest among developed countries. In local assemblies in Japan, female members are still rare while gender discrimination is common. The New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) conducted a survey of all female members of local assemblies across the country. The survey results show that more than half of them experienced unfair treatment and abusive remarks from male colleagues. It found that more than 20% of local assemblies have no female members.

To create a society in which women can balance work and child-rearing and are free to live up to their potentials is women workers’ wishes. Improvement in women’ rights and status will change the society for the better. To achieve this aim, women unite on International Women’s Day.