Japans Commitment to Gender Equality - Essay Example

Student’s Name] [Instructor’s Name] [Course Title] 11 September 2011 Japan’s Commitment to Gender Equality Gender equality refers to a social order situation in which both men and women share similar opportunities and at the same time face similar constraints on complete participation in the social and economic activities (Bailyn 85). Gender equality is emphasized by almost all governments in the world and Japan is no exemption. The proposition that Japan is committed to gender equality is debatable from different points of view. It is essential that we set issues clear from the very beginning concerning the issue of gender equality. Boys and girls are brought up in the society and taught about their gender and their gender roles. This has meant that this generation will grow up regarding some roles as being for men while others are for women. The fact is that it is a mere branding by the society and essentially what a man can do even women can do and possibly even better and the reverse is true. With time, certain gender is found to dominate in certain areas of life; be it political, social or even economic which brings about gender inequality or rather gender unbalancing. This is the point of confrontation which calls for gender equality in all spheres of life. Measure of Gender Equality The measure of whether a country or state is committed to gender equality is based on the statistics from the “United Nations Development Program”, UNDP, referred to as “Gender Empowerment Measure”, GEM. This measure gauges gender equality by tracking the participation of women both in business and in politics. However, gender equality measure cannot be limited to certain social activities, but runs across all spheres of life. Japan’s Commitment to Gender Equality Considering the history of Japan, it is worth supporting the proposition that Japan is committed to gender equality. This is demonstrated by the women involvement in various activities which include political and socio-economic activities. Political empowerment: before the year 1946 women in Japan were not given voting rights let alone voting one of their own to public positions. The political world in Japan had done this since the History of the country. This position has since changed and presently the country prides in a 9.4% of women representatives in parliament. Though the percentage is still small, it is a remarkable commitment to gender equality. Furthermore, the country adopted a gender equality basic plan which has set its goal of increasing the women percentage in positions of leadership in all socio-economic and other fields to a minimum of 30 per cent of the total positions by the year 2020. The Japan government has shown every indication to leave by this plan. All these points to the Japan’s commitment to gender equality. The 2009 general election marked a significant turning point in women’s involvement in politics. Some of the policy issues that were critical to the country had all along been dismissed by the Japan’s parliament and regarded as affairs relating to women, but in the 2009 election they were now considered as the mainstream issues. The ‘Democratic Party of Japan’, DPJ fielded 35 women candidates for all crucial single seat constituencies. This was a significant increase in the count of women candidates contesting in an election. Education: education is power and an empowered woman cannot be easily discriminated against. Japan recognizes the right of every child irrespective of gender to basic education. The system of education does not discriminate on the girl child. This is evidenced by the figures reported in 2005. Apart from those students advancing to correspondence courses in upper secondary schools, the rate of advancement in high school for the girls (96.8%) has usually been on the upper hand compared to that for boys (96.1%) since the year 1969. The percentage of women who advance to institutions of higher education has also been on the increase. These institutions include junior colleges, universities and specialized-training colleges. In addition, there is a significant increase in the women proportion in subjects where their enrolment used to be low. For instance, in the year 2005 their proportion has been as follows; agriculture (40.5%), social-sciences (31.2%), engineering (10.5%) and science (25.5%). Women involvement in business: the law of the country encourages everybody to enter in business associations with others provided their have the capacity to transact and are of the right mind. In fact, there are more than 2,000 legal provisions which impact on the economic status of women. There are many NGOs and other financial institutions which advance loan products to women in particular to help them become self employed and therefore reducing the income gap between men and women. Legislation: the Japan Government passed the basic law in 1999 for a society that upholds gender equality. This law sets out the basic principles in relation to the establishment of a “gender-equal society”. It also spells out the particular duties of the citizens, local governments and the state. The Government was keen to implement this as demonstrated by its establishing of the ministerial post (first in October 2005) that dealt with gender equality (the Ministry of state for gender equality and social affairs). This is a clear indication of the Japan’s Government commitment to gender equality. The Government and the people of Japan are committed to gender equality as can be seen in their constitution which is the supreme law in the country. Equality under the law is stipulated in article 14 which gives the people of Japan the right of freedom and prohibits any form of gender discrimination. In article 24 it is prescribed that both husband and wife have equal rights in their marriage. Persistence of gender inequality Irrespective of the regulation of gender equality in Japan’s constitution, the goals are far from being attained. However, we cannot overlook the significant progress that has been made. It is true that Japan has shown some commitment to gender equality; however, there are other areas where gender inequality is persistent and thus discrediting the proposition that Japan is committed to gender equality. This is evident as indicated in: GEM Rankings: Japan was ranked number 54 out of the 93 countries that were investigated in 2007. This is really not encouraging for a developed country like Japan and it is a clear indication that at an international level the country lags behind in its commitment to gender equality. Political empowerment: women who are in power in Japan are very few compared to their male counterparts. For instance, the parliamentary seats occupied by women constitute a mere 9.4%. Since members of parliament are elected in office on democracy basis, it is therefore arguable that the male domain is not ready and willing to elect a woman representative in parliament which is a likely indication of discrimination against women. Things are no different in the private sector since it shows a decimal number of women who are subsection chiefs, section chiefs or department heads. In addition, the number of females who are recruited as researchers is still low constituting of 11% (as of 2006). The gap existing between women and men who advance to university for undergraduate course is still wide with 51.3% for men and 36.8% for women bearing in mind that the women percentage in institutions for higher education like specialized training and junior colleges is higher than that of men. Employment: there is high discrimination against women in the labour market. There exist a wage gap between men and women where women are paid lower for the same task and job description similar to that of their male colleagues. There exist discrimination in the workplace to such an extent that a woman has to work at the same company for 32 years in order to receive wage compensation which is earned by a man who has been in the same company for only 6 years (Lewis, 10). There is also a longest running case of discrimination in Japan (14 years) whereby 6 women graduates were forced to assume the tasks of secretaries while the men who they had the same background and joined the company at the same time worked as managers. In Japan, parents encounter the problem of combining family and work commitments. When this is the case, the women are forced to forego their job to attend family commitments which reduces them to playing the role of housewives. The end result is low levels of women employment which heightens gender inequality in Japan. Furthermore, women are discriminated against when it comes to the top positions in the organizations from which they work. As a matter of fact, up to 2009 of all the 225 largest listed companies in Japan there was not a single woman who had been appointed as the chief executive. Hindrances to achieving gender equality It is notable that several obstacles stand in the way to achieving gender equality. In the political realms women have shown discrimination against themselves. This is because the country upholds democracy and every citizen has the right to elect their choice in competitive position. The law of the country does not preserve any public position to any gender. The irony is that the majority of those, for instance, elected as parliamentary representatives are men despite the fact that the women voters constitute a considerable figure and thereby ignoring the interests of about one-half of Japan’s population. This is an obstacle as nobody can be forced to vote for someone in these positions thus leaving the national government and the gender equality activists with little or nothing to do to avert the situation. Family commitments have continued to discriminate against women and it is only fair if both men and women took equal contributions in family issues and childcare in specific. The statistics show that more than two-thirds of women in Japan do not make a come back to their places of work after giving birth. Various problems of gender inequality still exists in Japan though they are never reported. This makes it hard for the relevant gender equality bodies to take the required affirmative action. For instance, most family based violence though prohibited are never reported which has caused the escalating figures in gender inequality. Statistics have shown that on average a husband from households where both the husband and the wife are working spends 27 minutes a day in childcare and housekeeping. Japan is highly notable for its high demand in sex trades and the women who are mostly affected are from foreign countries as they fall victims of human-trafficking. Status of such foreign women is not usually reported to the government or other agencies which makes it hard to combat the crime (discrimination against women). The issue is compounded by the lack of Japan’s Government to sign the protocol aimed at preventing, suppressing and punishing trafficking of persons especially children and women. Conclusion Gender equality is a concept that needs to be imparted on children at their tender age. When they grow up they learn how to appreciate each gender and work together for a common good. The fight for gender equality should not be left to the government or the public sector alone, but all the stakeholders inclusive of individual citizens and the private sector should come in handy and condemn the vice of gender inequality. Women in Japan form half of the population and therefore ignoring their interests in totality will be equated to ignoring the general interests of the majority. Women are not inferior to men and should not be considered as second class citizens. This is not acceptable if the country at all shows strong commitment to achieving gender equality. Laws are made and legislation passed but without implementation they become futile for the country. The Japan Government should follow up and ensure that both the public and the private sector abide by the rules and regulations that concerns gender equality. Work Cited Bailyn, Lotte. Breaking the mold: Redesigning work for productive and satisfying lives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell, 2006. Print. Lewis, Leo. “We do not count the women: gender inequality in Japanese companies”. The Times 8 August 2009: 10. Print. Read More

Some of the policy issues that were critical to the country had all along been dismissed by the Japan’s parliament and regarded as affairs relating to women, but in the 2009 election they were now considered as the mainstream issues. The ‘Democratic Party of Japan’, DPJ fielded 35 women candidates for all crucial single seat constituencies. This was a significant increase in the count of women candidates contesting in an election. Education: education is power and an empowered woman cannot be easily discriminated against.

Japan recognizes the right of every child irrespective of gender to basic education. The system of education does not discriminate on the girl child. This is evidenced by the figures reported in 2005. Apart from those students advancing to correspondence courses in upper secondary schools, the rate of advancement in high school for the girls (96.8%) has usually been on the upper hand compared to that for boys (96.1%) since the year 1969. The percentage of women who advance to institutions of higher education has also been on the increase.

These institutions include junior colleges, universities and specialized-training colleges. In addition, there is a significant increase in the women proportion in subjects where their enrolment used to be low. For instance, in the year 2005 their proportion has been as follows; agriculture (40.5%), social-sciences (31.2%), engineering (10.5%) and science (25.5%). Women involvement in business: the law of the country encourages everybody to enter in business associations with others provided their have the capacity to transact and are of the right mind.

In fact, there are more than 2,000 legal provisions which impact on the economic status of women. There are many NGOs and other financial institutions which advance loan products to women in particular to help them become self employed and therefore reducing the income gap between men and women. Legislation: the Japan Government passed the basic law in 1999 for a society that upholds gender equality. This law sets out the basic principles in relation to the establishment of a “gender-equal society”.

It also spells out the particular duties of the citizens, local governments and the state. The Government was keen to implement this as demonstrated by its establishing of the ministerial post (first in October 2005) that dealt with gender equality (the Ministry of state for gender equality and social affairs). This is a clear indication of the Japan’s Government commitment to gender equality. The Government and the people of Japan are committed to gender equality as can be seen in their constitution which is the supreme law in the country.

Equality under the law is stipulated in article 14 which gives the people of Japan the right of freedom and prohibits any form of gender discrimination. In article 24 it is prescribed that both husband and wife have equal rights in their marriage. Persistence of gender inequality Irrespective of the regulation of gender equality in Japan’s constitution, the goals are far from being attained. However, we cannot overlook the significant progress that has been made. It is true that Japan has shown some commitment to gender equality; however, there are other areas where gender inequality is persistent and thus discrediting the proposition that Japan is committed to gender equality.

This is evident as indicated in: GEM Rankings: Japan was ranked number 54 out of the 93 countries that were investigated in 2007. This is really not encouraging for a developed country like Japan and it is a clear indication that at an international level the country lags behind in its commitment to gender equality. Political empowerment: women who are in power in Japan are very few compared to their male counterparts. For instance, the parliamentary seats occupied by women constitute a mere 9.4%. Since members of parliament are elected in office on democracy basis, it is therefore arguable that the male domain is not ready and willing to elect a woman representative in parliament which is a likely indication of discrimination against women.

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