DPJ policies could help more women start work, change their lives

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kirakira25 at 08:02 AM JST - 17th September

This could be the start of a social revolution - but it needs the companies themselves to be on board with it too. It is no good taking away women`s tax allowances, encouraging them into work politically, and then still having the companies paying them subsistence wages with no promotion prospects and no chance for training and/or development.

A fundamental shift in thinking across the buisiness world is also required....and I`m not sure if that is likely to happen.
Gaijinocchio at 09:23 AM JST - 17th September

Yet another example of a plan that's not well thought out.

The poor circumstances for child-rearing women to work in earnest should also be addressed, however, such as the short supply of day-care services to look after children while their mothers are at work, the experts noted.

This alone should be reason enough to postpone this "more women in the workforce" plan.

Unemployment is at an all time high, yet the DPJ wants to put more women out in the workforce and remove tax deductions for spouses AND dependents as early as 2011.

If the recession drags on this will pull the Japanese standard of living down with it. Women will be EVEN LESS inclined to have a child, let alone several, from already limited daycare services. Single mothers, I pray for them, because and extra 26000 yen a month child allowance barely pays for diapers and food.

I won't even touch on the cultural issues of women in the workforce in Japan.

I agree there needs to be a vast, sweeping overhaul to make something like this be truly effective. At face-value, this will discourage child-rearing in Japan.
tkoind2 at 10:34 AM JST - 17th September
This plan is ill conceived so far. It needs clear plans to move forward first.
1. Establishment and enforcement of equal opportunity laws to protect women in the work place including legislation to force better wage parity with males.
2. Strong legal code to allow both parents to have flex or leave time to address child rearing needs. This law will need strong teeth to assure corporate compliance.
3. Daycare. Japan needs more daycare. Incintivize companies to provide this and increase funding for community and private resources.
4. Tax breaks for stay at home partners with income under a certain level. This would enable poor families without the benefit of two jobs or corparate daycare services to still obtain tax breaks to encourage child rearing.
5. Roll it out over a five year plan. These are major changes that need to be fully empleminted in order to work. Take time and get it right.
tmarie at 11:27 AM JST - 17th September

I think it is a great idea. J housewives can now get off their butts and help out. Why not have them work in the new daycares and after school centers that will be much needed when this happens? Most have kids, should have a clue on how to look after them unlike your average daycare worker who is 21 or 22, has no clue about kids and is only doing the job until they get married and can quit. Win/win for everyone.

I do agree though that getting companies on board is going to be difficult. They might have to, gasp, start paying women what they are worth and keep them on after they have kids. I'm sure the 50/60 year old men are shuddering about this - and about having to finally cough up the maternity care leave that is supposed to already be allowed.
bgaudry at 11:28 AM JST - 17th September

People nothing has changed. The cabinet filled with old men and former LDP cronies. Plus two (?) women. Wow, change Japan style. Mind you change Yank style hasn't produced much either.
kirakira25 at 11:56 AM JST - 17th September

AGAIN - Tkoind2 for Prime Minister! And might I suggest tmarie as your deputy because the idea of offering J housewives careers as carers is an excellent one!

But - as with many Japanese laws that have been discussed in many contexts on different threads - the issue doesn`t necessarily seem to be in the establishment but in the enforcement. I was under the impression (and please correct me if I am wrong) that equal opportunity laws already exist in Japan, it is just that organisations seem to be able to disregard them with impunity, until one lone woman stands up in her fight for equality - and usually wins but in the process is ostracised, criticised and labelled a "troublemaker".

Hence - the fundamental shift in thinking required. And that, as you so rightly point out, is not something that is going to happen quickly.

Ironically I am sitting here right now studying a module on Change Management for my masters course, and on a break flipped here to read the latest news. So much of what I am learning could be directly applied in Japan right now! Anyone fancy setting up a Change Management Agency with me??!
tkoind2 at 01:17 PM JST - 17th September

Change management for Japan would be wonderful and universally beneficial for this country.

It is true that reasonable labor and equality laws do exist. But they lack real enforcement. This is one area where corruption really shows in Japan. The government has been very reluctant to go after industry for labor related laws as business is their key constituency. So making them angry was never an option.

It remains to be seen if the DPJ will be any better in this regard. For now people work over the legal 40hrs per month of OT, are forced to quit because they marry, are refused work because employers fear they may get married after a certain age and discouraged from child raising.

The key problem in Japan is the rule of business over the needs of the population. Like everywhere else governments exist to meet the needs of business and industry with the public a distant second.

Laws need teeth and enforcement to work. But most important they need a government willing to do so.
stirfry at 02:13 PM JST - 17th September

change your life...marry a gaijin
dolphingirl at 03:20 PM JST - 17th September

Agree with most of the comments so far. Simply changing the tax system and allowing women to keep their surname after marriage is not going to make a difference.

As people have already said, these equal opportunity laws must be enforced. In addition, girls need to be brought up as being equal to boys with the same expectation of being able to support themselves.

No, this is definitely not going to change overnight or even in a few years. More likely, a generation or two.
sydenham at 06:57 PM JST - 17th September

dolphingirl,

i don't want to make any big predictions here, but if you look at the history of Japan from the Meiji era on, huge societal changes rarely take more than 5-10 years, in no small part because of the top-down nature of Japanese society. any time there has been a change in government, the people have been gung ho in jumping on the bandwagon. if the latest election is any indication, the people are ready for big change.

you probably have your perception because the same party has maintained essentially the same policy for almost the past 50 years and for however many years you've been here, things have always been discussed, but never really implemented. this has been the typical LDP style of talking about what people want to placate them into thinking that they are still the best, safest choice.

but anyway, when things change in Japan, they change big time. either it will happen soon, or not at all. i'd put my money on the former, the way the economy and social demography are going.
illsayit at 08:21 PM JST - 17th September

Excuse me, what do you mean that housewives should get off their butt? Mums should learn to be Mums when it is that time. The housewives, Im guessing you mean those with grown children are getting along with their lives, which is why you get the crappy caretakers-younguns- in the daycare centers. So if youve got kids the experts usually say that having Mum as caretaker is best, I think we'd agree. I certainly agree that having young knowitall broads spew forth what they think they know about mothering, could be humiliating?

Concerning this article can I send you some stimulation and how about you study hanko's!

This is so full of holes Im not going to start. The comments only highlight the problem.