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Copyright ©2008
Japanese women demand equality in the workplace
By Emma Boyes
TOKYO — Burning bras isn't the Japanese way. Talk about disrupting the "wa." For decades Japan assumed a softly-softly approach to women's lib: equality in theory, but rarely in practice. For women, gaining respect in the workplace is a matter of freedom and dignity. For businesses — and for the nation — it's a matter of survival.
Many Japanese women have horror stories about suffering sexism at work. For Western women, used to being treated as equals, being able to express ideas and have them taken seriously, a Japanese office can be like entering a time warp. Sexism is alive and kicking, and for some women it hurts.
"I was a 'business development manager' at a Japanese software company. We had an important meeting with all the managers and venture capitalists. I had worked in the U.S., so was used to expressing my opinion, so I spoke out. Then one of the executives started verbally attacking me, implying, 'Shut up, you're a woman, you don't know anything!'" said Ayako Fukuyama (not her real name), a business manager.
"If we girls are invited to business dinners, we are simply there to make a dull table of businessmen brighter. Girls are just supposed to sit there, pour drinks and only speak when asked. We are like mannequins. Then the guests can compliment the men, 'You're so lucky to have kawaii girls around you. Makes a dull workplace brighter,'" said Fumie Nakama (not her real name), a translator.
The role of women in the Japanese workplace was traditionally that of "shokuba no hana," or "office flowers," there to make tea and brighten things up by giving their male coworkers something pretty to look at. And an annual stream of fresh female faces meant a steady supply of potential wives.
Women left work once they were married ("kotobuki-taisha") or became pregnant ("shussan-taisha") to become housewives and raise children. It was an unwritten rule that if two employees who were working for the same company got married ("shanai-kekkon") one of the two must leave the company. In practice, the woman would quit and usually dropped out of the workforce altogether.
Sadly, women still feel the same social pressure today, according to Kuniko Inoguchi, the minister for gender equality and a mother of two. "By becoming pregnant, you're forced to leave," she told the Associated Press. "It's like bullying."
Different for Western women
Western and Japanese women often have entirely different workplace experiences, even at the same company. Foreigners tend to be treated by virtue of their nationality as opposed to their sex. They are not expected to "fit in" or "behave," and it is assumed that they will not know — and therefore will break — the rules. In some cases, superiors or coworkers are also more likely to pay attention to what they have to say.
Many Japanese women say that there is a double standard, and foreign females who dismiss stories of sexism should ask their Japanese girlfriends what they think first. But Western women sometimes face an unexpected enemy of their own.
"Interestingly it was American men who were more sexist while I was in Asia," says Julie Bassett (not her real name), an engineer. "It was almost as if they felt free to behave badly because they believed the culture would permit them to. My Japanese coworkers, on the other hand, never acted out in any demeaning manner towards me that I was aware of. Perhaps my position as an 'expert' countered other prejudices."
Japan doesn't have a monopoly on under-participation in the workforce by women. The percentage of women company directors, for example, is low in all countries: Norway leads the way with a still-disappointing 21%; the U.S. drags its heels with 12.5%; and the UK has a poor show with 7%, according to a 2004 report by the Ethical Investment Research Service.
But in Japan, the figure is staggeringly low: less than 1%. Women make up only 10.1% of managers, only 30% of the salaried workforce, and earn only 68.8% of the equivalent salaries of their male colleagues.
Establishing a "gender-equal society" has been an official government target since 1999, when the Diet adopted a law calling it "vital" to Japan in the 21st century. In December 2005, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced he wanted more women in government, and set a target of 30% of top-level government positions to be occupied by women by 2010, up from 21.5%.
43 female lawmakers in the Diet
Koizumi already has a record 43 (out of 480) female lawmakers in the Diet. They include Inoguchi, the gender equality minister; Satsuki Katayama, the Finance Ministry’s budget examiner; Yukari Sato, head of the Liberal Democratic Party in Gifu Prefecture; and Yuriko Koike, minister for the environment. These and other female Koizumi loyalists within the LDP have been dubbed the "Madonnas of reform." For young women dreaming of a career in politics, it may be "Hallelujah," indeed.
Or maybe not. Koike, tipped by some as potentially Japan’s first female prime minister, was rushed to hospital in March suffering from acute pneumonia. She blamed her poor health on overwork. "Women could not be recognized in the political community unless they work 10 times as hard as men," she told Kyodo News.
In the private sector, the standard-bearer for successful women is Fumiko Hayashi, who became chief executive of "zombie" supermarket chain Daiei in December 2004. Previously head of BMW Japan, Hayashi has a reputation as an excellent salesperson with an eye for customer service. Forbes ranked her No. 66 on their list of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" in 2005, the only Japanese to make the cut.
Hayashi's appointment was hailed as a possible tuning point for working women in Japan. Four months later, Sanyo Electric promoted board member Tomoko Nonaka to chief executive. The media accused Sanyo of a publicity stunt, jumping on the fact that Nonaka was a former television presenter, though not so quick to mention that the program she presented was World Business Satellite — heavy on pie charts and analysis, short on fluff.
Away from the headlines, successful women like Keiko Erikawa, chief executive of video game maker Koei, best known for its popular "Dynasty Warriors" series, have been quietly running companies for years. Doubly unusual as both a woman CEO and a woman in the video game industry, Erikawa set up Koei with a partner in 1978. Variously described by her peers as "charismatic," "brilliant," and "incredibly brave," she was named one of the "People Who Can Fix Japan" by the Far Eastern Economic Review in 2003.
Striking out on their own is an attractive option for many women to avoid hostile working environments and low pay. They can set their own hours around other priorities, such as spending time with their kids. Business bank loans to females have quadrupled in recent years and the government offers subsidies of up to 2 million yen to female entrepreneurs, according to NHK. Some notable names are Kumi Sato of Cosmo PR, Kaori Sasaki of eWoman, Rie Kihara of Rie Coffee, Yukiko Kuroda of People Focus Consulting and Tomoko Namba of DeNA.
Becoming an entrepreneur is also a better fit for some foreign women. "It is extremely difficult to have both partners working while trying to raise a family in Japan, due to the absence of extended family support," says Anita Lee, cofounder of Go Mobile, which rents mobile phones to people traveling to and from Japan. "Women often look for more flexible work options and, because there are not many opportunities for that sort of nirvana, we start up our own companies."
Skills recognixed over gender
Other women choose to work for international companies that are more likely to recognize their skills not their gender. "At my company, women are treated as equal to men," says Yuli Kim, a business development manager at an American-owned localization company. "In fact, four out of five management positions are held by Japanese women. I have never experienced prejudice for being a woman or for being Korean Japanese."
As well as the social or moral prerogatives of integrating women into the workforce, experts say it's essential to the economy. They make a parallel between the declining birth rate and the lack of childcare facilities. A babysitter costs on average 2,800 yen an hour, unaffordable for most, so having children would be a career-ending decision. These days more women are opting for careers instead of kids.
Kathy Matsui, chief strategist for Japan at Goldman Sachs coined the phrase "womenomics" in a 1999 report, updated in 2005. "If Japanese female participation rates rose to levels currently seen in the U.S., this would add 2.6 million people to the workforce, raising Japan's GDP growth rate from 1.2% to 1.5% over the next two decades," she wrote.
Compared with 1999, these days there is "greater awareness among policymakers about the demographic crisis and more actions taken by some companies to focus on diversity issues within their firms," she said in an interview, adding there are still important changes needed. "We must correct the 'myth' that the cause of Japan's declining birth rate is its working women. Empirical evidence shows that nations with high female labor participation rates also tend to have high birth rates."
Shinsei Bank proactive with women
One company that is proactive about harnessing its girl power is Shinsei Bank. At the Uchisaiwaicho main office, Shinsei (which means "rebirth") provides an onsite crèche called Hibiya Kids Park where parents can drop off their children before work. Over the last three years, 94% of women who have taken maternity leave from Shinsei have returned to their jobs.
"We have a clear policy — and more importantly, actual practice — here of promoting people based purely on ability and not on gender or seniority," says Shinsei's Greg Story, adding that women account for 64% of the bank's top sales people, 40% of its sales managers, and 24% of total management. "Other companies' inability to make the most of their women is clearly Shinsei's gain. Companies who 'get it' will outperform their rivals in the same way that we are," Story says.
"I am sure that the rest of the industry is going to follow us," Shinsei President and CEO Thierry Porte told the Foreign Correspondents' Club recently. "It does require a certain number of changes and, most importantly, a mindset change. But it is an enormous opportunity, not only for those women involved but for the economy as a whole."
What advice do successful women in Japan — either by birth or by choice — have for others who wish to make their mark?
Verena Urbschat, president of the Foreign Executive Women group, believes women need to help each other to break through the glass ceiling. "Women-only networking organizations are necessary in Japan for many reasons," she says. "In Japan, networking is all about the '‘old boys' network.' Japanese women haven't learnt how to use networking to their advantage."
Go Mobile's Lee adds that "mentoring," which is popular in the U.S., is another way for women to help each other. "I think that foreign women's businesses also offer a useful mentoring opportunity for Japanese women. Go Mobile employs predominantly Japanese women who learn how to develop and manage a professional business within an international environment. Women need to remember they can play an important mentoring role and work to change the stereotype of women in business."
There's an old joke that goes something like this: Man: What's your favorite position, babe? Woman: CEO. When it comes to equality for women at work, Japan clearly still has a long way to go. But like a drunken salaryman staggering down the street, at least it's heading in the right direction.
June 17, 2006
Japan Today Discussion
18 Total Messages (Click here to show all)
15 Messages Shown (Scroll down for most recent)
| Japanese women demand equality in the workplace |  |
Zaichik   (Jun 19 2006 - 23:16) | Rate | Report |
theaxissamurai: have you actually ever met any Japanese women? They may not complain to a man, but they're sure as hell complaining to their friends/female colleagues!
| Japanese women demand equality in the workplace | |
| please (Jun 19 2006 - 23:18) | Rate | Report |
But these advocates aren't Japanese women.
| Zai | |
| Nessie (Jun 20 2006 - 00:02) | Rate | Report |
To boyfriends too.
| Japanese women demand equality in the workplace | |
| attrition (Jun 20 2006 - 10:07) | Rate | Report |
'Cause in my experience, Japanese women have a great deal more rights and power and influence and independance than their Western couterparts, and always have.
They just don't seem so willing to sacrifice their femininity, and that which makes them attractive to the opposite sex, to achieve their aims.
Westerners quote numbers and stats and figures, but we all know (or should) that these mean nothing and are massaged and skewed to suit agendas.
For example, a recent international "motherhood" survey ranked countries of the world for women and children. Japan ranked #1 for children (health, mortality, etc) but only #9 for women. Why?
Because even though Japanese women live longer, report happier, healthier, and more fulfilled lives, engage in more hobbies and activities, have more money and freedom, and tend to divorce less often, they have a lower participation level in national politics.
No wonder most people in Japan laugh when Westerners talk of equality...to them, it just means living more like men.
| Ness | |
| Zaichik (Jun 20 2006 - 11:33) | Rate | Report |
Ah, never having been in the position of a boyfriend to a Japanese woman, I couldn't possibly comment :-)
| Japanese women demand equality in the workplace | |
| mermaid28 (Jun 21 2006 - 00:24) | Rate | Report |
| Attrition... | |
| MASSWIPE (Jun 21 2006 - 10:36) | Rate | Report |
Dude, it sounds like you wish you were a Japanese woman. I'll admit it, they've got it pretty good in many ways, but I wouldn't want to trade shoes with one of them.
To me, the cleverest and most cunning Japanese women are those who manage to live their entire lives without EVER paying a month's rent, by going straight from living at home with their moneymaking parents to living with their moneymaking husbands. Look at those women closely--they're usually smiling and for good reason.
| MASSWIPE - the good life of the J OL | |
| urko (Jun 21 2006 - 12:02) | Rate | Report |
Problem is there are some that really want a career, and they get discriminated against pretty bad here.
| Japanese women demand equality in the workplace | |
| pachisuro (Jun 21 2006 - 12:31) | Rate | Report |
| masswipe | |
| Camp_David (Jun 21 2006 - 20:50) | Rate | Report |
Agree with you and Urko completely - who in their right mind would choose the life of a salaryman?
| About Kanji trouble and gender equality | |
| electric2004 (Jun 22 2006 - 01:59) | Rate | Report |
is a character made of 2 women under another woman
at the top.
It means:
-wicked
-mischief
-seduce
-rape
-noisy
Take on the other hand
嬲
It means
to tease, to make sport of, to make fun of
| Attrition | |
| Azrael (Jun 24 2006 - 17:49) | Rate | Report |
'Cause in my experience, Japanese women have a great deal more rights and power and influence and independance than their Western couterparts, and always have.
Bwahaha here I am.
I have three years as a foreign student in Japan; I am an architect and I had a span of working experience in my country from my university years to my trip of Japan, of about 5 years.
I did experience the "time warp" the article talks about:
It has been amazing. It's like a TV shows from the 60's, with aprons, bowing their heads when mean speak and everything. You see, in my country (in the Caribbean) I had never experienced sexual discrimination (at work or elsewhere). My three sisters are civil engineers and both my parents are, too. I have female friends who are doctors, scientists, researchers - so I wouldn't even dream of buying the crap about women being unable to fulfill such jobs. My mother has held national-level administration positions in the government. My mentor in my country is a leading authority in his field, and among his best students there are more women than men. So you can imagine my astonishment at the humiliating work conditions for Japanese women. Of course, most don't find them humiliating, because it is all they know. However, there are some who aspire to higher work levels and they rebel against some of the chauvinistic patterns in the workplace hierarchy in Japan.
As a foreigner professional female, I do enjoy more priviledges. I can play the "ignorant on the hierarchies" game (again, like the in the article above). Another fact is, the Japanese professors at the Master course (mostly men) are delighted to find a Western student in the course and they show deference. They expect from the start my preparation to be superior. It's not the same if the female student is from Asia, though.
Another thing is (a Korean man explained this to me during an international seminar that lasted about a month when I first came to Japan) that if you are beautiful, your opportunities of being welcome double in Korea/China/Japan. In my country, I am average. Here I seem to be beautiful for the locals and I have observed he said the truth - people find me "kawaii" and treat me well, yet somewhat childlishly. I am dispensed also for having strong opinions on my profession because I am "westerner." Men listen to me. They don't necessarily agree always, but we have lively, professional discussions. International exchange at professional level can be attained - which is why I came to Japan, in the first place.
About the female competition, it is also true. In my laboratory, of the other 3 students admitted on the year I entered the university as a regular student, my friend is the male. The two females had a long struggle to accept me and they did sometimes try to put me down with both actions and words, but I left those behaviors back in Highschool. They also used to believe I was younger than them and that influenced. I am actually 7 years older than them. Our two-year tuition is ending and only now they seem to want to befriend me. This reinforces the point some have made about women attacking other women at the workplace, but I say it only reflects the general immaturity of Japanese girls. In their 20s, they are still teen girls.
Sometimes I wonder about the future of women in Japan. I will go back to my country and I know it, so the gender discrimination at work is not one of my main worries - but these girls will remain here. In Crisscross, I usually read comments from Western men (or wannabes) putting down females, sending them "back to the kitchen" to "make ocha because it's the only thing they can do right" or "make them pie" or food. Or sex. I think the article is right on some Western men abusing women in Japan just because they can (in their countries, they could not do it to such levels). My conclusion is, unless Japanese women lift their head and move forward, they will remain in Feudal times for generations to come.
| azrael | |
| keech (Jun 24 2006 - 22:21) | Rate | Report |
| Keech | |
| Azrael (Jun 25 2006 - 16:59) | Rate | Report |
| Equality? Not just yet....some work required | |
| energygal (Jul 19 2006 - 15:01) | Rate | Report |
For the much part of the last 10 yrs I have found that indeed Japanese women do exert sexuality, that possibly isn’t as easy to use in Western countries as we need to be taken seriously for our position although it isn’t necessarily the case that we as Western women give up sexuality, we just don’t flaunt it the way Japanese woman tend to around the office. Which at times annoys Western women as it seems something of a throw back to the pre-60s. And as the other western woman commented often the maturity levels experienced by mostly Japanese women in male lead businesses (whether foreign or Japanese companies) tend to be more girlish and frankly more immature in my experience. Whereas if the company is led by a female Japanese CEO, oddly enough I saw they kept their feminity but their maturity was to a similar if not the same level as my own. Very interesting I thought. I was reluctant to join such a company were 80% of the company were women, but found to be a great company and I still have many friends there.
I have a number of good Japanese woman friends, and although I have also experienced those who wanted to put me down in the workplaces in the past, it was largely because of an intolerance or jealousy (I believe) towards the treatment I enjoyed as I didn’t generally comform to the Japanese norms for women. Sadly had they made more effort, I would have happily helped them where I could if they could have just helped themselves more.
I’ve been additionally sadden to think that in the past Japanese women were controlled seemingly so much by men that they didn’t even have the right to birth control (I even used to be asked by my Japanese female friends to bring them the pill from outside Japan). I’m saddened to think that most likely the only reason why birth control was passed in this country wasn’t due because of the forcing of Japanese women up in arms, it in fact appeared that Japanese men knew it was a little hard to justify the entry of Viagara in this country without a little give at their end. Hardly, a big coo for Japanese women but a good result nonetheless I that in is now at least available. You need to help yourselves a lot more. So as for power and influence, yes there is some and I know you are very good at making men think an idea is theirs when really it was yours (something Western women could also wisely learn) still amazes me,but I still don’t see your influencing power as so great and if so, why for example was birth control pills for example not bought in earlier if so many women wanted them?? Perhaps there is some reason I am unaware of.
On a positive note I do think Western women do have something to learn off Japanese women in terms of their grace and way they don’t readily complain much. As Western women are generally more vocal in my experience at least to men at complaining, the Japanese way of keeping it in (whilst not necessarily completely healthy emotionally) definitely goes down a treat with Western men and perhaps us ladies should vent more to our Japanese girlfriends and vice versa. I truly believe that Japanese women need to stand up more for themselves, so that they are not left treated in such a way.
I’d definitely be more interested in hearing from Japanese women on what kind of power or influence they believe they exert in the workplace? As there maybe more to this than I currently appreciate?
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