The Gap Between Men and Women in Employment - Essay Example

?The Position of Japanese Women Employees from Post-Bubble to Now Introduction The issue of gender in the workplace even in history has been an issueof controversy. In the past, the female in the place of work was given low responsibility jobs or temporary jobs. In some fields of work, women were not even employed. The argument behind this gender segregation was that women gave their first priority to taking care of their families. However, today though women are viewed as inferior to men, organizations are learning to treat both genders as equal by allocating them similar duties. Laws that are against the discrimination of women and sexual harassment at work have been enacted to protect the rights of females in the workplace. According to Broadbent (2003), the number of females who worked in well paying jobs rapidly increased in the period between 1920 and 1980. The number of women at the workplace reached sixty percent for those women in the age bracket of between 25 and 64. In Japan, according to local traditions, men are expected to work in companies while women remain in the homes taking care of the family. The Position of Japanese Women Employees in the Post-Bubble era The bubble era in Japan lasted from 1986 to the February of 1991and it came with influx of exports and availability of capital as suggested by Tsutsui (2009). The post bubble era in Japan began in the 19991 due to the crashing of stock prices. Despite the ongoing significant changes in Japan, the traditional concept of “right” position for women and men in the society is still experienced in Japan. As a result of the growing modernization in Japan and the society’s change in traditional believes in the country, the number of working women has been rapidly increasing annually. As result the ratio of men to women in the workplace in the Japanese society has also increased. Although the almost half of employed population are women, they are still treated equally with men and thus there is a sense of discrimination against women. For instance, focusing on the end of the bubble era, female graduates had difficult times in securing jobs compared to the male graduates whom they had same qualifications. On the same case, even those who were lucky to secure employment, the offer could not be compared to that of the male graduates. The main issue in women employment in the Japanese society over the last decade is based on how they deal with a system that entrenched and institutionalized in the period of high growth. However the society also has to consider that the system is now invalid and needs an overhaul in the post-bubble era. In the post-bubble era, the female labor force decreased to almost 50.2% that is in 1994 from 50.7% in 1991 as suggested by Gunther (2009). Feminization in the employment sector was slightly decreasing. Despite the increasing women employment the era is characterized by women self employment and family employment. Women working on temporary basis in 1995 only received about sixty percent of the salaries received by men. The amount of salary for female workers was also dictated by their age. In the same year, the average number of working years for high compared to that of women. The underlying issues in Japan in the post-bubble era included non-regular system of labor as well as the predominant part-time workers. The major challenge was how to deal with these issues which mostly affected women. In this era, Japan’s emphasis is on the use of part-time female workers as the cost-cutting measure in the corporate. Instead the country should use women employment as a way of improving the general employment sector or in a more constructive manner. Research has established it that companies were reluctant in appointing female workers to high positions of work. There was also the controversy that female workers were not engaged in promotional training and the male employees do not value women’s labor. In the post-bubble era, legislation like the Childcare leave of 1992 and the Family care leave of 1995 were enacted and offered to both men and women as suggested by Gottfried and Reese (2004). This indicates a more gender sensitive community and created a flexible balance for work and life. However women in this era are mainly benefiting from these types of leave as opposed to men. For instance in 1999 around half of the total percentage of women in employment sector went on child care leave. Despite these few advancements in gender issues, the framework of gender equity has been a model rather than a real pattern of activities in Japan. The childcare issue has been a prominent and significant issue in the post-bubble era affecting the employed women. According to Blomstrom and Croix (2006), in a research conducted in 1996 revealed that 76.3% of the women complained that main factor affecting their performance in the job sector was the child care problem. It has also been argued that childcare has hindered women from continuing with their carriers. In order to improve the position of women in the employment sector, childcare schemes in the country have called for facilities and user oriented approach. In 1991 the government in order to boost working mothers’ desire and participation in employment it established centers for childcare as suggested by Berggren and Nomura (1997). Employers have associated the underlying inequality between men and women in workplace with the provisions given to women such as childcare leave. The Current Position of Japanese Women Employees On improving the position of female workers in the bubble era, the Japanese law has currently provided for protections that ensures equal opportunities in the work environment. One of first moves in improving the position of women in employment is the guarantee of equal treatment for men and women. This is provided for in the article fourteen of the constitution of Japan which argues that there shall be no discrimination in relation social, political or even economic basis of gender. Other articles have also been provided in the constitution which promotes the position of women today. For instance women should be provided with equal recruitment and hiring rights just like men according to Nielsen and Nelson (2005). Also the promotional and assignment article which requires that men and women workers should be treated the same on these bases. The equal employment opportunity law of Japan advocates for vocational training, fridge benefits and others to be equally accorded to men and women in the work environment. Mandatory rules have also been created which protect the employer from discriminating women in the workplace on basis of gender. There has been established Women’s and Young workers office given the jurisdiction of offering assistance in solving claims arising from the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. Voluntary settlement maintains it that both parties may agree on corrective measures with the office playing the role of advice as suggested by Douglass and Roberts (2003). There have been several challenges facing the female employees today in Japan. Basing on the current economic conditions these challenges can only be solved if employment opportunities and growth are boosted. It is evident that even a small growth rate of the economy portrays income gaps and female discrimination among men and women in the labor market. As suggested by Daigaku and Kenkyujo (2000), women managerial careers in Japan are seldom seen in the country. This is because despite the increase in the number of employed women and the improved payment terms, the condition of women employees remains questionable. The internal labor market in Japan and the rules of promotion have remained a major blocking factor in managerial duties being unavailable for women. Other factors such as frequent leaves, lots of house work and above all the male dominated society have contributed to poor progress of the position of women in the employment. All these practices have remained dominant in Japan and have continued contribute in discrimination of women in the workplace. Currently, the number of women employees in all paying jobs in Japan is around 39.6% of all employees according to Lukacs (2010). In the recent past the number of working females aged thirty five years has been on the increase. In modern Japan employed women work in areas such as services, retail and wholesale trade, dining and drinking areas, and in the manufacturing sectors. The increasing number of female graduates today has led to many of them landing in professional and technical fields of work. Conclusion The increasing level of education on the part of women and the increasing technological advancement has widened the working environment for women. As women continue advancing their careers through technology, their social and economic roles will also develop in the country. Today, the wage system based n seniority which is applied in Japanese enterprises has contributed to the wage differences between male and female workers. The current position of women in employment has been dictated by difference in academic background existing between men and women. Also the highest number of women working part-time causes the gap between men and women hence dictates their position in employment. Reference list: Berggren, C. & Nomura, M. (1997). The resilience of corporate Japan: new strategies and personnel practices. California: SAGE Blomstrom, M & Croix, S. (2006). Institutional change in Japan. Delhi: Taylor & Francis Broadbent, K. (2003). Women's employment in Japan: the experience of part-tme workers. London: Routledge Daigaku,T. & Kenkyujo, S. (2000). Social science Japan journal, Volumes 3-4. Oxford: Oxford University Press Douglass, M. & Roberts, G. (2003). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press Gottfried, H. & Reese,L. (2004). Equity in the workplace: gendering workplace policy analysis. Maryland: Lexington Books Gunther, H. (2009). Women in Management Positions in Japan - Trends, Challenges and Opportunities. Munich: GRIN Verlag Lukacs, G. (2010). Scripted Affects, Branded Selves: Television, Subjectivity, and Capitalism in 1990s Japan. Durham NC: Duke University Press Nielsen, L. &. Nelson, R. (2005). Handbook of employment discrimination research: rights and realities. New York NY: Springer Tsutsui, W. (2009). A Companion to Japanese History. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Read More