Japan ranks 116th in 2022 gender gap report, worst among G7

Not surprising at all!

You probably won’t see this report on NHK.

We will not see this on TV news at all.

Women have more opportunity in China than Japan? That IS worrying. Time Japan lifted its game and joined the modern world by improving opportunities for women rather than pigeon holing them and excluding them simply based on sex rather than abilities.

Not surprising at all!

You beat me to it.

Women have more opportunity in China than Japan? That IS worrying.

I'll second that!

women's participation in the political and economic arenas

It might be useful to also measure the wishes of the genders to participate. I imagine there's also a similar disparity in areas such as road building and refuse collection. Is that discrimination against men or women?

You beat me to it

That reminds me that corporal punishment for children wasn't abolished until last year in Japan.

However apparently it still continues in Judo class.

The great pacifist humanitarian highly evolved nation with gender equality and best safety regulations and disaster response.

Women have something major to contribute to society -babies !

Only fair they should have equal rights

Japanese politicians and corporations will celebrate this as a success.

Pretty safe to say this is one world ranking not carried out by a publication partly owned by a Japanese newspaper. And no, as everyone said, not surprising one bit. I like how they pointed out it's the "worst among G-6 nations" instead of pretty much worst in the world, PERIOD.

That’s only theoretical and maybe valid when only considering what’s visible on the surface. Practically women are leading here, in families as financial management bosses, in politics as wives of the elected politicians and also in daily practical life. Look around, who is dining expensive lunches, frequenting cafeterias, buying in department stores, traveling around all nice places etc. Surely not the majority of men, imprisoned in their companies all daytime plus overwork hours, only released for taking a quick beer , then commuting, taking a bath at home and sleeping until early next morning, for the next 24h round of their suffering for bringing home some money and getting a little pocket amount in return. Or name me only three shops or department stores dedicated specifically for men’s interests, that are located in city centers and not selling work related stuff like suits or such. You won’t find or name me even one. That’s for sure. Or politics, just because of that so-called gap it is nowadays more than simple for women to candidate and get elected easily, just for the numbers and with no expertise required. That’s all a wrong, misleading and phantom debate.

I think Japan has got the balance just right.

The full report here: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf

the think tank says the coronavirus pandemic has set back gender parity by "an entire generation"

See, when these Hari Seldonesque think tanks make assessments like this, it makes it just a little bit harder to take their 132-year and 136-year estimates for gender parity seriously.

What a sorry use of our taxes...

I don't think most Japanese women are interested in this report.

The report by the World Economic Forum

Hey, aren't they the "you'll own nothing and you'll be happy" mob?

Women get it worst, but Japan is working to match the G7 countries like the USA in inequality.

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2022020700750/

A legacy of LDP economics.

The full report here: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf

Interesting to know that some countries above Japan on the list still practice polygamy. In Sierra Leone (at 109th), female genital mutilation is still widely supported. Maybe these facts have little to do with the gender gap....

Who cares?

PaulToday  04:20 pm JST

We will not see this on TV news at all.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220713/k10013714611000.html

Who cares?

You do. Enough to post anyway.

Just admit the report irritated you :)

Japan ranked 116th among 146 countries in the gender gap rankings this year, remaining in last place among Group of Seven industrialized countries, a Swiss-based think tank said Wednesday.

Credit the Swiss-based think tank that did this study for recognizing there are only two genders.

Lotta questions are slimy. Does it mean discrimination against having big enough piedras grandes to tell it like you mean it when you talk.

women's participation in the political and economic arenas

-I imagine there's also a similar disparity in areas such as road building and refuse collection. Is that discrimination against men or women?

The report by the World Economic Forum showed women's participation in the political and economic arenas remains particularly low in Japan. The country, however, attained high scores in access to education and health.

Yeah, Japan don’t need real moms staying home raising smart kind successful kids. Japan needs more kids with fat bellies, tattoos in the nose, and blue hair.

China, run by a communist party affords more opportunities to women than Japan, a self-professed democracy. Says a lot about Japan now doesn't it?

Don’t pay too much attention to those international ranking lists. As a general rule, the narrower the gender gap, the sucker a society is. Japan is still the healthiest of the G7 countries as witnessed by a very small number of out-of-wedlock children.

I mean, considering the title of the article below this one in the "Latest News" section, is anyone really surprised?

(News Article just below this one: "Man arrested for sexually assaulting minor he solicited as model")

Add to that fact that stories like these are a daily occurrence, and frankly, I would be far more surprised if the news said Japan has a high or even just average level of gender equality!

I like how they pointed out it's the "worst among G-6 nations" instead of pretty much worst in the world, PERIOD.

Well said, smithinjapan! A ranking of 116 out of 146...that is an embarrassing ranking for a developed country that is part of the G-7. And when you consider that the next lowest country in the G7 is Italy in 63rd place, nearly half of Japan's ranking......

And what did we expect from Japan?

To change in a year?

The sexist and macho-virile “culture” is so deeply ingrained in this insular island nation that it will take generations to fill the gap with most western European countries.

I still remember.. When I stayed for a while in a country in South East Asia, I was told that women(wives) works for daily living costs and men (husbands) playing cards drinking beers all day long and that was normal.

I don’t see many women in Japan protesting about wanting change.

When i heard China is ranked 102nd, i know for certain this game was rigged. Who would believe that nonsense? This Swiss base think tank should mind it's own business.

I don’t see many women in Japan protesting about wanting change.

Have you seen people going out in large numbers protesting for anything ?

even if it affects their livelihood.

Peter14

Women have more opportunity in China than Japan? That IS worrying. Time Japan lifted its game 

On first reading it, this was my reaction as well.

FizzBit

Japan needs more kids with fat bellies,

In a previous article there was complaint at under weight women, some people are just never satisfied!

tattoos in the nose,

Not sure how you would tattoo inside the nose?

and blue hair.

What’s wrong with blue hair? I know a number of gorgeous girls who have or have had blue hair! (or any other colour you wish to choose).

It is that sort of denigrating put down of any individuality of women that is at the basis of social repression of women and the consequent economic disparity

It will be interesting to see where Japan ranks world wide? I can't even imagine.

Next week Kishida san will forma task force to study the situation and they will do their upmost and report back to him.

I still remember.. When I stayed for a while in a country in South East Asia, I was told that women(wives) works for daily living costs and men (husbands) playing cards drinking beers all day long and that was normal.

Are you sure you hadn't yet boarded the flight and were still near Haneda?

When i heard China is ranked 102nd, i know for certain this game was rigged. Who would believe that nonsense? This Swiss base think tank should mind it's own business.

Oh look, another Japanese male with wounded pride

The women here are like a different species to the boring men anyway.

And if they get to change the constitution if will get much much worse!

This indicator may be a little bit arbitrary. The fact is that in some countries, women work because they have no choice, because men don't work so much. I think we should include the difference in life expectancy in the index. In Japan, women live considerably longer than men because of less stress. Countries where women do not live that long as men are countries where women are not so respected.

Hiro

When i heard China is ranked 102nd, i know for certain this game was rigged.

For certain, eh? You must have quite a bit of proof then.

Who would believe that nonsense?

Anybody from outside of Japan who has lived or worked here for any length of time.

This Swiss base think tank should mind it's own business.

Why? Because you don't like their findings? Too bad.

This is news?

When has Japan ever been remotely close to closing the gender gap?

So?

The attitude among Japanese women about this stuff seems to be

"Well, that's just how our men are. We still need to support them!"

It will be interesting to see where Japan ranks world wide? I can't even imagine.

Just Google it !

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gender-equality-by-country

So we're still confusing "wages" with "earnings", are we? Yes, of course there is an income gap. Cultural differences and women's choices account for them not entering and remaining in the active labour force in the same numbers as men. Thus they EARN less overall, but aren't necessarily PAID less individually.

Women choose to remain at home more than men. They take time off to have children while men earn money to support the family. They choose part-time careers...

I thought we were done with this foolishness.

The down votes of my above comment made by people who have not read in detail the plans CHANGES not revisions to the constitution obviously have little deep knowledge of the situation and are just basing their opinions on what the J “press” Is serving and spinning. Depressing to say the least!

In Japan's defense,... it's not just Japan... look at what was said a few years ago, by the British Boxer - Tyson Fury:

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/bbc-defends-shortlist-fury-slur-women-200718544--box.html

I believe a woman's best place is in the kitchen and on her back, that's my personal belief.

Well.. ahem... there you have it. I guess, he should relocate to Japan, and fit right in.

On a more serious note, there is clearly an attitude, that exists, Globally, and not just in Japan. From News Stories, it should be apparent to all that, Afghanistan is probably currently well below Japan in ranking...

The question needs to be... WHY do these thoughts exist - whats driving them... Tyson, likes Sex and his job is Physically Fighting, so his choice of Woman matches those desires - as Individuals, that's their choice. Afghanistan has a perverted Religious order that clearly forces Women to match what Tyson likes, but what about Japan ?

Japan ranked 120th among 156 countries in last year's rankings.

In Asia, the Philippines remained the best-performing country in 19th place, while South Korea ranked 99th and China 102nd

Best performing? True, in Philippines ordinary men and women are equally poor.

However I would say, life is still better for women in Japan, South Korea and China despite the gender gap.

HiroJuly 13 06:55 pm JST

When i heard China is ranked 102nd, i know for certain this game was rigged. Who would believe that nonsense? This Swiss base think tank should mind it's own business.

It's not rigged, but distorted, totally ignoring important criteria like the size of those countries and living standard of their citizens in general. To compare Iceland with its 370.000 people with Chinas 1400 million people is a way to nowhere and to claim women have it better in the Philippines than in Japan is plainly misleading.

I'm ashamed to say that my wife is a harder worker than me and knows both English and Japanese so much better, and yet she makes 1/3 of what I make. I wish I could see what comparable employees make at her company, especially in regards to male vs. female pay. I've got a strong suspicion that all is not equal there.

I've always been confused by this report when it comes out each year.

From page 53:

Gender equality vs. women’s empowerment: [The index] ranks countries according to their proximity to gender equality rather than to women’s empowerment. ... Hence, the index rewards countries that reach the point where outcomes for women equal those for men, but it neither rewards nor penalizes cases in which women are outperforming men in particular indicators in some countries. Thus, a country that has higher enrolment for girls rather than boys in secondary school will score equal to a country where boys’ and girls’ enrolment is the same. 

Am I missing something, or does the last sentence not demonstrate that the index does the exact opposite of what it claims to do? It's a clear measure of women's achievements compared to men's, with a penalty if men have more but no penalty if women have more.

A country that banned boys from receiving an education would get a perfect score, whereas a country that banned girls from education (something we still see in this world) would rightfully get a terrible score, and a utopian country where 100% of boys and 99.9% of girls were educated would still score lower than the country that banned boys altogether.

You can't measure gaps only in one direction and then penalize countries for having gaps there but not gaps in the other direction. Then you're not measuring gaps; you're measuring the empowerment of one side. Which is still worth measuring -- just call the index what it is.

Good pressure

More female, or whichever of LGBT should occupy the critical positions in economic/academia/political fields

if they are competent enough.

If they are, they should also compete against male at Olympics/professional sports like Boxing/Rugby... etc

Oh, gender gap in language like Germany or in usual Japanese conversation should also be called on if possible

When I stayed for a while in a country in South East Asia, I was told that women(wives) works for daily living costs and men (husbands) playing cards drinking beers all day long and that was normal.

The ‘slip’ from 120 to 116 is surely just a temporary thing. Looking ahead, we expect the home side to redouble its efforts to arrest the advance. Let the exchange rate be your guide!

Japan has a long ways to go in women's rights, that's for sure. But any report from the World Economic Forum is likely to be suspect - they have their own agenda and influences. They are anything but a neutral observer.