Japan ranks 118th in 2024 gender gap report

Japan just pipped at the post there by Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, but it's way ahead of Benin and the Congo, so it's not all bad news.

Geez!

Japan lost to every country in East Asia and the Pacific. Every country in Europe. Every country in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Japan lost to Senegal and Burkina Faso!

That’s just embarrassing!

This is just an arbitrary ranking using subjective criteria by an advocacy organization. I despise how news organizations will report on these stories like they're some objective, factual comparison and not just an attempt to dress up advocacy under some pseudo-scientific veneer.

the World Economic Forum said Wednesday

LOL, club of old rich men. Why not say something about the gender vice gap? My wife likes $30k hand bags, whilst I enjoy a good steak and wine at less than $100. All of it meaningless.

For all the patriots and conservatives fuming in their bedrooms at another global survey than seems to show Japan unfairly in a bad light, give a downvote to this post.

Look, I am absolutely not afraid of giving Japan fair criticism where criticism is due. This country has a lot of problems that it will need to address in the coming years and I certainly don't think we should shy away from calling them out when needed.

However, the World Economic Forum, perhaps once perceived as a reputable institution long ago, has lost its credibility in recent years and has rightfully come under fire for its rather dubious intentions and also the extent of their political influence.

I looked at the report. I immediately noticed that ranked above Japan there are several countries notorious for having serious problems with sexual violence. In theory, analyzing discrepancies related to partcipation in business or politics makes sense, but in practice it ends up being this mess of obviously cherry picked data intended to produce a specific type of outcome.

You cannot convince me Kazakhstan, Romania, Zimbabwe, and Serbia are treating women better than Japan is. Maybe among urban elites they have more political and economic participation rates, but how do you even measure what is going on outside of what those country's governments are willing to show you? I imagine in the rural parts of those countries equality has not advanced very much since their ages of industrialization, if at all.

Reports like this are counter productive and actually do more to cover for gender inequality than anything else. WEF is trash and no one should trust or support them.

Any non Muslim countries in the bottom 10? 20?

Are we surprised by such statistics?

we know this from decades,like it or not Japan is a country where changes occurs very long time and the strong patriarcal, misogynist culture is hard to eradicate if schools and family start to rethink their way of teaching to children the importance of women in their society.

I imagine in the rural parts of those countries equality has not advanced very much since their ages of industrialization, if at all.

Perhaps not. But rural Japan is still stuck decades ago in terms of gender roles. Of course, part of that is because it is full of old people who grew up with such roles, and most of the youth has escaped to town, but that would be much the same in Serbia or Romania.

IllyasToday  05:07 pm JST

This is just an arbitrary ranking using subjective criteria by an advocacy organization.

 I despise how news organizations will report on these stories like they're some objective, factual comparison and not just an attempt to dress up advocacy under some pseudo-scientific veneer.

Similar reports have similar results for Japan.

So are you suggesting Japan has a similar gender gap and women empowerment to other developed nations?!

If you think this is not factual, what do you think is the current state of gender bias in Japan?

wolfshineToday  05:10 pm JST

Look, I am absolutely not afraid of giving Japan fair criticism where criticism is due. This country has a lot of problems that it will need to address in the coming years and I certainly don't think we should shy away from calling them out when needed.

However, the World Economic Forum, perhaps once perceived as a reputable institution long ago, has lost its credibility in recent years and has rightfully come under fire for its rather dubious intentions and also the extent of their political influence.

I looked at the report. I immediately noticed that ranked above Japan there are several countries notorious for having serious problems with sexual violence. In theory, analyzing discrepancies related to partcipation in business or politics makes sense, but in practice it ends up being this mess of obviously cherry picked data intended to produce a specific type of outcome.

You cannot convince me Kazakhstan, Romania, Zimbabwe, and Serbia are treating women better than Japan is. Maybe among urban elites they have more political and economic participation rates, but how do you even measure what is going on outside of what those country's governments are willing to show you? I imagine in the rural parts of those countries equality has not advanced very much since their ages of industrialization, if at all.

Reports like this are counter productive and actually do more to cover for gender inequality than anything else. WEF is trash and no one should trust or support them.

Did you read the research, though?

All the other research and reports have Japan at similar levels - do you dispute their objectives and accuracy too?

I get the feeling that Japanese women may have given up or just don't care !?? not really sure which one?

To all those who disputed the findings, these organisations have similar results for Japan in their reports.

Japanese govt and independent reports also find gender equality a major issue to deal with

I don't think the world is out to get Japan. There are serious issues with equality in Japan that should be the focus of your attention,, not attacking the legitimacy of international reports.

wolfshineToday  05:10 pm JST

Look, I am absolutely not afraid of giving Japan fair criticism where criticism is due. This country has a lot of problems that it will need to address in the coming years and I certainly don't think we should shy away from calling them out when needed.

However, the World Economic Forum, perhaps once perceived as a reputable institution long ago, has lost its credibility in recent years and has rightfully come under fire for its rather dubious intentions and also the extent of their political influence.

I looked at the report. I immediately noticed that ranked above Japan there are several countries notorious for having serious problems with sexual violence. In theory, analyzing discrepancies related to partcipation in business or politics makes sense, but in practice it ends up being this mess of obviously cherry picked data intended to produce a specific type of outcome.

You cannot convince me Kazakhstan, Romania, Zimbabwe, and Serbia are treating women better than Japan is. Maybe among urban elites they have more political and economic participation rates, but how do you even measure what is going on outside of what those country's governments are willing to show you? I imagine in the rural parts of those countries equality has not advanced very much since their ages of industrialization, if at all.

Reports like this are counter productive and actually do more to cover for gender inequality than anything else. WEF is trash and no one should trust or support them.

Reality bites.

Kazakhstan, Romania, etc. and Japan are ranked similarly in global gender equality reports due to comparable poor female economic participation, political representation, and traditional gender roles that limit women's opportunities.

You might not like these reports but if you live in Japan and have a daughter or wife, you want them to at least take this seriously and participate in improving the situation.

In business and politics Japan is a patriarchy. In the social sphere, Japan is a matriarchy. Men get allowance from their wives like a 15 year old boy...even CEOs. Mother makes all the major decisions regarding big ticket items like homes, cars, vacations...the kids' education. Men are tasked with bringing home the bacon like a mule. Does the World Economic Forum consider what daily life is like in Japan. Would you rather be the mule slaving away in a black company dying of "karoshi" or a "gender" suffering housewife with the entire day free after you've made breakfast and laundry?

"This is just an arbitrary ranking using subjective criteria by an advocacy organization. I despise how news organizations will report on these stories like they're some objective, factual comparison and not just an attempt to dress up advocacy under some pseudo-scientific veneer."

Bang on!

How about the WEF addresses the massive income and influence disparity between it's leadership and the average global citizen?

Hypocrites. Ignore them.

One third of Japanese women 15-35 chose"housewife" as a desired future vocation in a survey. Does the World Economic Fourm consider women's choice as a metric for how women wish to lead their lives in Japan?

https://japantoday.com/category/national/1-in-3-japanese-women-want-to-be-housewives-poll?comment-order=oldest

One third of Japanese women 15-35 chose"housewife" as a desired future vocation in a survey. Does the World Economic Fourm consider women's choice as a metric for how women wish to lead their lives in Japan?

of course not.

you will do and think what we tell you… and you will like it.

a billion people don’t even have indoor plumbing and cook with coal and dung, but that's not as important.

"You might not like these reports but if you live in Japan and have a daughter or wife, you want them to at least take this seriously and participate in improving the situation."

My eldest daughter is on full scholarship at University of Tsukuba. She's already been offered a 6 figure salary at a pharmaceutical company upon graduation. What women should take seriously is their choices in life. Japan has plenty of opportunities for women who go into STEM fields. Those who choose to be homemakers will end up on the low end of the scale of the myopic WEF's surveys that are trotted out once every three months or so, but anyone who has spent any length of time in Japan knows "homemaker" is the Queen Bee in Japan...as it should be as "homemaker" is the most important "job" in society.

Congrats Japan on climbing the gender equality ladder.

Geeter MckluskieToday  07:26 pm JST

"You might not like these reports but if you live in Japan and have a daughter or wife, you want them to at least take this seriously and participate in improving the situation."

My eldest daughter is on full scholarship at University of Tsukuba. She's already been offered a 6 figure salary at a pharmaceutical company upon graduation. What women should take seriously is their choices in life. Japan has plenty of opportunities for women who go into STEM fields. Those who choose to be homemakers will end up on the low end of the scale of the myopic WEF's surveys that are trotted out once every three months or so, but anyone who has spent any length of time in Japan knows "homemaker" is the Queen Bee in Japan...as it should be as "homemaker" is the most important "job" in society.

Seriously, that is awesome that your daughter has done well in Japan, and I'm sure, as a dad of a daughter myself, you played a big part in her success. Well done to your daughter.

However, while individual success stories of women in Japan achieving academic and professional milestones are great and to be commended, they do not negate the pervasive gender disparities in the country.

Despite high levels of educational attainment, women in Japan still face significant challenges such as the gender pay gap, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and barriers to career advancement. Traditional gender roles and cultural expectations often result in women bearing a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, limiting their ability to participate in the workforce fully.

Addressing these systemic issues requires comprehensive efforts to promote gender equality, challenge cultural norms, and create more inclusive workplaces. While celebrating individual achievements, it's crucial to recognize the broader societal need for change to empower women and achieve true gender equality in Japan.

Japanese women are wonderful, but they deserve much more than what they have right now in Japan.

"However, while individual success stories of women in Japan achieving academic and professional milestones are great and to be commended, they do not negate the pervasive gender disparities in the country."

Looking deeper into those "pervasive gender disparities" one often finds disparities in comparison metrics, such as how many women actually choose a life of politics or as stated in an earlier comment the fact that 1/3 of women choose to be homemakers despite having attained a high level of education.

Japanese women ARE wonderful and deserve to have THEIR choices respected

Geeter MckluskieToday  07:58 pm JST

"However, while individual success stories of women in Japan achieving academic and professional milestones are great and to be commended, they do not negate the pervasive gender disparities in the country."

Looking deeper into those "pervasive gender disparities" one often finds disparities in comparison metrics, such as how many women actually choose a life of politics or as stated in an earlier comment the fact that 1/3 of women choose to be homemakers despite having attained a high level of education.

Japanese women ARE wonderful and deserve to have THEIR choices respected

That there are many men with these attitudes in Japan makes me less hopeful for significant change in Japan.

You are trying to put all Japanese women in the same box – they all have different dreams and skills!

It's also not fair to say that anyone, man or woman, can speak for every woman in the whole country.

There are many reasons why some Japanese women choose to be housewives. Maybe it's what their families expect, or maybe they don't have as many job options as men. This pressure to follow traditional roles can make it harder for women to do what they really want.

Ultimately, every woman, no matter where she's from, should be able to choose her own path in life. People who say all Japanese women want to be housewives might be forgetting that everyone wants to be in charge of their own lives, not just men! For things to be truly fair, these old-fashioned ideas need to change, and everyone should have the same chances to reach for their dreams.

"You are trying to put all Japanese women in the same box – they all have different dreams and skills!"

No, I'm not trying to do that at all. As I've noted there are plenty of women who decide to have a career or study in a STEM field at university. However, there are also plenty of women who choose to become homemakers.

"There are many reasons why some Japanese women choose to be housewives. Maybe it's what their families expect, or maybe they don't have as many job options as men. This pressure to follow traditional roles can make it harder for women to do what they really want."

Maybe it's what they genuinely value. I can't imagine many families being adverse to their daughters becoming a doctor, engineer or pilot, despite none of those being "traditional female" roles. I think that canard is demonstrably false.

"People who say all Japanese women want to be housewives might be forgetting that everyone wants to be in charge of their own lives, not just men"

No one has said a thing about "all Japanese women"...the survey cited said 1/3 of Japanese woman ages 15-35 (out of 3000 polled) CHOSE "homemaker" as their desired vocation. Your claim that their choices are not of their own volition dismiss and minimise the actual choices that women make.

Homemakers ARE in charge of the home! Not men...Men are given an allowance like a 15 year old boy. Women rule the home. They make all the major decisions regarding the home. They make all the major financial decisions which is why men surrender their bank cards and receive an allowance. This is the case for MOST Japanese households...including those of CEOs of major corporations or politicians etc.

The educational attainment ranking saw Japan drop from 47th to 72nd, while the health ranking remained relatively stable at 58th.

Japan ranked 58th in health?

"Japan ranked 58th in health?" Dubious survey exposed

They should stop trying to change traditional values for something that is worse. Modern feminism is a negative. Only reason they want women to more is to make more consumers and increase GBP. While most families are not better off than before.

Too many workers means lower salaries, companies can be choosey. Kids are dumped off at nurseries to possibly suffer horrendous abuse rather than be bought up by their mother.

If you think women in Japan are doing poorly, just asked the ones in any Muslim country. Any.

It is interesting that Northern Europe has so many countries so highly rated. The same countries (this includes Iceland) are rated in the top 10 in education. It seems that the two things are related. That and the equal pay for women.

Rankings? Why?　Aren't all cultures equal? Or are some better than others?

Rankings? Why?　Aren't all cultures equal? Or are some better than others?

Some are better.

Geeter Mckluskie

My eldest daughter is on full scholarship at University of Tsukuba. She's already been offered a 6 figure salary at a pharmaceutical company upon graduation. 

Assuming she's paid in yen, a six-figure salary doesn't leave quite the same impression as dollars, euros, or pounds.

I think based on what the West consider equality/happiness etc the ranking is probably quite correct, and if you were to try to live your life as a regular worker as woman in Japan you are in for a bad time. At the same time though if I were born in Japan I would definitely want to be born as a woman, at least up until now. Much rather take care of a kid or two than slave away at a Japanese company. I'd say the biggest minus for women in Japan is the high amount of sexual crimes and overall culture of what they should tolerate. If what happens in a nightclub in Japan happened where I'm from the Police would have been called non stop.

At the same time though if I were born in Japan I would definitely want to be born as a woman, at least up until now.

I smiled at that. It brought back memories of a conversation I had on a train with a young Japanese woman in about 1980 when I had not long been in the country. She told me some stories about her working conditions, low pay, etc. I said something like, "It must be terrible being a woman in Japan." She looked around the train at all the tired looking salarymen, and said, "Yes, but it's better than being a man."

Good job Japan you did better than India which slots in at #129.

I'm just gonna say it, Japan doesn't care.

deanzaZZRToday 12:36 am JST

Good job Japan you did better than India which slots in at #129.

Number of female Chinese presidents = ?

Of course, part of that is because it is full of old people who grew up with such roles, and most of the youth has escaped to town, but that would be much the same in Serbia or Romania.

Just check where both of the countries you just mentioned ranked. I bet they're in the first third. It's pointless to find excuses and apologies instead of strategies to improve.

Japan ranks 118th in 2024 gender gap report

How about in race gap report? Do they do a ranking for that also?

"Assuming she's paid in yen, a six-figure salary doesn't leave quite the same impression as dollars, euros, or pounds."

The term 6 figure salary applies do dollars

"All the other research and reports have Japan at similar levels -"

Do all other "research and reports" have Japan ranked 58th in the world in health? 58th!!!

This survey is an absolute joke!

The standard of health care in Japan is well above that of Canada or the U.K. these days. 58th-very unlikely

So there are genders now? Did they ask people their gender before making up these pointless numbers?

The standard of health care in Japan is well above that of Canada or the U.K. these days

Certainly in Canada's case. No comparison. 3 days wait for an MRI compared to 3 years. The reality undermines the fallacy that developed countries need to artificially and massively pump up their populations in order to sustain themselves.

"A gender equality paradox': Countries with more gender equality have fewer female STEM grads"

Apparently in countries such as in all Scandinavian countries (occupying the top 5 positions on this list) women's choices trend away from STEM fields and more towards social fields like teaching. That is, the more altruistic a country is...the more women trend towards what are viewed as "female" roles...

https://www.thejournal.ie/gender-equality-countries-stem-girls-3848156-Feb2018/

Geeter MckluskieToday  06:37 am JST

"All the other research and reports have Japan at similar levels -"

Do all other "research and reports" have Japan ranked 58th in the world in health? 58th!!!

This survey is an absolute joke!

Did you even check the reasons for this rating?

It's not saying health care in Japan is bad per se, but it does not support women's particular needs as well as it does in other nations.

Japan ranks low for women's healthcare in gender gap reports due to limited access to reproductive health services, low participation in preventive care, and inadequate support for maternal and mental health needs. Also cultural stigmas, demanding work culture, and gender bias in medical research further contribute to the disparity.

OliveToday  06:46 am JST

The standard of health care in Japan is well above that of Canada or the U.K. these days. 58th-very unlikely

Not for women, it isn't.

Read the report and stop being so defensive.

"Japan ranks low for women's healthcare in gender gap reports due to limited access to reproductive health services, low participation in preventive care, and inadequate support for maternal and mental health needs."

I'd love to see the methodology this dubious report used.

Limited access to reproductive health services? Really? What does that mean precisely? What "reproductive health services" are limited in Japan? "Low participation in preventative care"? Really..."preventative" care? Japan ranks 1st in the entire planet in life-span at 84 years, men bring that average down. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are part and parcel of "preventative care". "Inadequate support for maternal needs"? Really?!! We've had 5 kids, each for which we received a "childbirth allowance" of  ￥500,000 (about $3,400) abvove and beyond what our national health insurance covers...which is 80% of all medical costs including hospital stays and medicine. My wife was also provided with a month long course for new mothers focused on the care of newborns. "Mental health"...I agree with you there. Japan is in dire need of more mental health care professionals and services. I highly doubt that lack drops Japan to 58th place in the world...What a crock!

The standard of health care in Japan is well above that of Canada or the U.K. these days. 58th-very unlikely

"Not for women, it isn't."

Women also have to wait up to a year for an MRI in Canada.

My wife felt dizzy the other day. We went to the local citizen's hospital in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama. It took 20 minutes for her to get a CAT scan.

Geeter got in first, but the stuff about health is a joke. Look at female life expectancy! The highest in the world.

For anyone saying high life expectancy is due to the traditional Japanese diet or genes, Japan was dead last in life expectancy in the G7 as late as 1960. This was due to high incidence of strokes and stomach cancer (see Kurosawa's "Ikiru"), partially from super-high sodium food. Traditional Japan is lots of dirt poor peasants happy to work at a coal mine below Gunkanjima or selling their daughters to a geisha house. Traditional Japan is old people with bent spines from calcium deficiency, a common sight even just twenty years ago. Traditional Japan is emigrating to Brazil and invading Manchuria because you can't feed your population.

Noone who has seen it up close would think Japan has poor "maternal support". Japan has more mental health beds per capita than any country in the world. Anti depressant use is tiny compared to the US. I bet lots of the countries above Japan will have obesity problems. You'd have to be crazy to take the average 50 year old Japanese woman and think "I bet she's a mess of health problems".

kohakuebisuToday  09:38 am JST

Geeter got in first, but the stuff about health is a joke. Look at female life expectancy! The highest in the world.

For anyone saying high life expectancy is due to the traditional Japanese diet or genes, Japan was dead last in life expectancy in the G7 as late as 1960. This was due to high incidence of strokes and stomach cancer (see Kurosawa's "Ikiru"), partially from super-high sodium food. Traditional Japan is lots of dirt poor peasants happy to work at a coal mine below Gunkanjima or selling their daughters to a geisha house. Traditional Japan is old people with bent spines from calcium deficiency, a common sight even just twenty years ago. Traditional Japan is emigrating to Brazil and invading Manchuria because you can't feed your population.

Noone who has seen it up close would think Japan has poor "maternal support". Japan has more mental health beds per capita than any country in the world. Anti depressant use is tiny compared to the US. I bet lots of the countries above Japan will have obesity problems. You'd have to be crazy to take the average 50 year old Japanese woman and think "I bet she's a mess of health problems".

If you're uncertain about something, take the time to investigate rather than become frustrated and defensive.

While Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, various reports, both within Japan and internationally, note issues with women's care.

These reports consistently highlight the same concerns.

No one is trying to discredit Japan. Every country has its own problems, and it's important to address these issues rather than avoid or ignore them. This advice is for anyone who feels upset by this report, questions its credibility, or believes it unfairly targets Japan.

They should stop trying to change traditional values for something that is worse. Modern feminism is a negative. Only reason they want women to more is to make more consumers and increase GBP. While most families are not better off than before.

I disagree with "modern feminism is a negative" but only because it blames feminism for the sins of neoliberalism, the straitjacket in which feminism has been enacted. Women fought to be allowed to work, but yes, not so that their salary would be needed along with their husbands to buy the same house her father bought with one salary. Millions of women work but have less wealth than their housewife mothers. This is the success of neoliberalism, not of feminism.

"While Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, various reports, both within Japan and internationally, note issues with women's care."

What are those issues exactly...that put Japan at 58th in the world?

various dubious reports

> Geeter MckluskieToday  10:54 am JST

"While Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, various reports, both within Japan and internationally, note issues with women's care."

What are those issues exactly...that put Japan at 58th in the world?

various dubious reports

Why are you asking someone on a news thread - if you're interested, go find out!

Do you care enough to do that, though? If you're asking me, probably not.

"While Japan has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, various reports, both within Japan and internationally, note issues with women's care."

What are those issues exactly...that put Japan at 58th in the world?

various dubious reports

Various types of care that are female specific that are not covered by the japanese health insurance. Hard to get access to pills for birth control, or at least used to. many things in regards to child birth are not covered. For example I have paid around 4 million yen for IVF and egg storing.

"Why are you asking someone on a news thread - if you're interested, go find out!"

I have no interest in coddswollp and piffle other than to call out that pap for what it is

"Do you care enough to do that, though? If you're asking me, probably not."

I have 3 daughters, a wife and a grandmother all of whom have received exceptional medical care including diagnostic care (preventative care...isn't that what Japan supposedly lags in?) in which my grandmother's stomach cancer was diagnosed early and from which she fully recovered. THAT's what I care about...the ACTUAL healthcare in Japan. Not the piffle propogated by these dubious pap pieces

"Various types of care that are female specific that are not covered by the japanese health insurance. Hard to get access to pills for birth control, or at least used to. many things in regards to child birth are not covered."

What isn't covered "in regards to childbirth. As a father of 5 kids born in Japan...I'd like to know

Geeter MckluskieToday  01:24 pm JST

"Why are you asking someone on a news thread - if you're interested, go find out!"

I have no interest in coddswollp and piffle other than to call out that pap for what it is

Geeter MckluskieToday  01:29 pm JST

"Do you care enough to do that, though? If you're asking me, probably not."

I have 3 daughters, a wife and a grandmother all of whom have received exceptional medical care including diagnostic care (preventative care...isn't that what Japan supposedly lags in?) in which my grandmother's stomach cancer was diagnosed early and from which she fully recovered. THAT's what I care about...the ACTUAL healthcare in Japan. Not the piffle propogated by these dubious pap pieces

Good for you. Not interested in the broader community of women in Japan, fine.

Scroll on to a different news story.

Ignorance is bliss.

> Geeter MckluskieToday  01:33 pm JST

"Various types of care that are female specific that are not covered by the japanese health insurance. Hard to get access to pills for birth control, or at least used to. many things in regards to child birth are not covered."

What isn't covered "in regards to childbirth. As a father of 5 kids born in Japan...I'd like to know

As a father of 2 with one pregnancy in Japan and both born outside Japan, I'd like to help, but you know it only takes 5 seconds of searching, and it's something you can and should be able to do yourself, especially if there are women in your family. Please also research the risks of sexual assault, stalking, etc.. as that is also a major issue in Japan.

Again these are things you personally or your wife may not have experienced (or maybe there are things she did that you re not aware of), but not all women in Japan are in the same situation in Japan (consider single mothers for example).

Japan's low ranking in world reports concerning pregnancy, maternity care, childbirth, and childcare can be attributed to several factors. While Japan has a high standard of medical care and low infant and maternal mortality rates, certain systemic and cultural issues impact its rankings. Here are some key areas where Japan is often found lacking:

Healthcare System Limitations:

Mental Health Support: There is insufficient support for maternal mental health issues, such as postpartum depression. The stigma surrounding mental health can prevent many women from seeking help.

Regional Disparities: Access to high-quality maternity care can vary significantly between urban and rural areas. Rural regions might have fewer specialized healthcare providers and facilities.

Social Support Networks:

Community Support: There is often a lack of community-based support systems for new parents. Extended family support, which used to be a norm, is decreasing with urbanization and smaller family units.

Information and Resources: There can be a lack of easily accessible information and resources for new parents about pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

Economic Factors:

Cost of Child Rearing: The high cost of raising children in Japan, including education and extracurricular activities, can deter families from having more children.

Housing: High living costs, particularly in cities, can strain family budgets, making it difficult to afford spacious housing suitable for raising children.

Support Systems for Working Mothers:

Limited Childcare Availability: There is a significant shortage of affordable and high-quality childcare facilities. Many parents face long waiting lists for daycare centers, particularly in urban areas.

Workplace Policies: Although maternity and paternity leave policies exist, the cultural stigma against taking these leaves, especially for men, is strong. This discourages fathers from taking paternity leave and places a heavier burden on mothers.

Long Working Hours: The culture of long working hours and overtime makes it challenging for parents, especially mothers, to balance work and childcare responsibilities.

Gender Inequality:

Traditional Gender Roles: Societal expectations often place the primary responsibility for childcare on women, limiting their career opportunities and personal growth.

Economic Disparities: Women frequently face pay gaps and limited career advancement opportunities, which can affect the financial stability of families.

Policy Implementation:

Inefficiencies in Policy Implementation: Even though policies may exist on paper, their implementation and enforcement can be inconsistent. This includes ensuring that workplaces adhere to maternity leave regulations and providing sufficient public childcare options.

Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive policy reforms, cultural shifts towards more gender equality, and improved support systems for families. This could help Japan improve its rankings in global reports on maternity and childcare.

"Not interested in the broader community of women in Japan"

The "broader community of women in Japan" have the exact same healthcare system from which to receive the exact same exceptional medical care as my family has

Geeter MckluskieToday  02:19 pm JST

"Not interested in the broader community of women in Japan"

The "broader community of women in Japan" have the exact same healthcare system from which to receive the exact same exceptional medical care as my family has

Okay, Geeter, I guess they just made up a lot of stuff just to annoy you and some of these other folks here.

Change doesn't happen until the denial stops and acceptance and understanding begin.

Take care and all the best.

Mental health support: Yes, I've conceded that there is a paucity of mental health services in Japan

Regional Disparities: Yes, in rural areas the hospitals are further and fewer than in urban areas. This is true of all countries, including those at the top of the list.

Community Support: our local City Hall provided free post-natal care classes for expecting mothers. In terms of family support, in Japan, a traditionally social country family is still crucial and in many households more than one generation lives together. This canard is unfounded

Information and Resources:  plenty of information and resources for expecting mothers in Japan...PLENTY

Economic Factors: We've managed to raise 5 kids with no issues on my modest salary with my wife staying home to rear the children. School is subsidised for those who can't afford it. There are discount clothing stores everywhere, as there are discount dry goods stores etc. Raising children in Japan is far less expensive than it is in my native Canada (Where is Canada on that list)

Long Working Hours: Japan ranks 31st in the world for hours worked per annum. Many mothers don't work, but rather stay home to raise their children.

Housing: We bought a 3 bedroom home on a 1/4 acre lot 50 minutes from Ikebukuro, the heart of Tokyo...Japan's most expensive city, in 2020 for the equivalent of $150,000. The same home would have cost us at least 10 times that in my native Toronto, Canada. Affordable housing is a big reason we have been able to raise 5 kids in Japan. Prior to buying our home we rented a 3 bedroom apartment for $600 a month. You can't rent a one room apartment in Toronto for under $2000.

Traditional Gender Roles: Japanese women still value traditional gender roles. In a recent survey in Japan Today, 3000 young women ages 15-35 were polled about what their desired vocation is...Homemaker was chosen by 1/3 of those polled (Do myopic surveys like this piffle by WEF consider women's choices regarding "gender disparities)

That survey is utter codswallop!

Geeter Mckluskie not sure where you are from, but It might be that you are too focused on comparing it to the country you have experiences from, for example if you are from the US, I'm sure you are having a great experience compared to what's over there.

paternity leave etc is also a big thing that probably makes Japan go down a couple of rankings. Although they do have paternity leave, rarely is it used, especially for men, and rarely is it used without consequences. I'm sure those 30 that rank above have more than half a year worth of paid paternity leave, where I'm from we have a year for both mom and dad.

Long Working Hours: Japan ranks 31st in the world for hours worked per annum. Many mothers don't work, but rather stay home to raise their children.

Kind of sounds like you just came here, You do understand why that is right? I never logged one overtime hour while working for a Japanese company, Japan would definitely be in the top 3 if it was actually logged, but it rarely is, which just makes it way worse. Also women not working after marriage is a big problem right now, Japan is built on one person always being home taking care of the kids, while fewer and fewer are able to afford to do that,

"Okay, Geeter, I guess they just made up a lot of stuff"

Yeah, they made a lot of huge leaps in their piffle regarding the muddy metrics by which they've deemed Japanese women to rank 58th on the planet in terms of health.

Change doesn't happen until the denial stops and acceptance and understanding begin.

self-indulgent virtue signalling codswallop platitude

"Geeter Mckluskie not sure where you are from"

I'm from Canada a country with universal health care...but with waiting times up to a year for an MRI

Re working hours:

"Kind of sounds like you just came here, You do understand why that is right? I never logged one overtime hour while working for a Japanese company, Japan would definitely be in the top 3 if it was actually logged, but it rarely is"

OECD's numbers are corroborated by Japan Rail's numbers. Japan Rail is Japan's largest rail passenger service provider. It's estimated that 70% of Tokyo's workforce commutes to work by train. Japan Rail cites the morning hour between 8am and 9am as the busiest in train stations throughout Japan with the busiest evening hour being between 5pm and 6pm. This is true of Shinjuku Station, in the heart of Japan's business district. Japan Rail's numbers are of actual people going through ticket gates. When people trot out the old "overwoked" Japanese canard they are referring to sectors such as finance, marketing or agriculture. Excessive overtime is specific to those sectors throughout the world.

"Kind of sounds like you just came here,"

I've been here since 1988. Besides teaching I also run a youth ice hockey program. We currently have 70 players in our program. We practice Wednesday and Friday 7:30pm to 9pm and Saturdays and Sundays 7am-9am in the mornings and 8pm to 10pm in the evening. Around 80% of those kids are driven to the rink by their fathers, fathers who couldn't be there if they were working overtime excessively.

" Japan is built on one person always being home taking care of the kids, while fewer and fewer are able to afford to do that,"

We've raised 5 kids with my wife staying home on my teacher's salary...without any issues whatsoever. It's far less expensive raising children in Japan than it is in my native Canada...far less

About half of Japan's population is female, so if women have the option to choose to be housewives and raise children, doesn't that mean they don't have to work while raising their children?

In a truly poor country, women would not be able to advance in society, let alone get a decent job.

Women go from being students to joining the workforce, and it's up to them to decide what to do after that. I don't think women are choosing to be housewives because they're being unfairly oppressed.

TaiwanIsChina:

Number of female Chinese presidents = ?

And? What's your point? If we're going to resort to whataboutism, then please tell me

● The number of female Japanese prime ministers = ?

● The number of female American presidents = ?

● The number of days of maternity paid leave guaranteed for women in USA = ?

● The number of females in line of succession for the Japanese throne = ?

Not to make you too depressed, the number of female CEO's in Japan isn't zero. It's a whopping 0.3%.

FYI In India and China, it's 4.7% and 6.4% respectively.

Geeter MckluskieToday  05:02 pm JST

"Geeter Mckluskie not sure where you are from"

I'm from Canada a country with universal health care...but with waiting times up to a year for an MRI

Re working hours:

"Kind of sounds like you just came here, You do understand why that is right? I never logged one overtime hour while working for a Japanese company, Japan would definitely be in the top 3 if it was actually logged, but it rarely is"

OECD's numbers are corroborated by Japan Rail's numbers. Japan Rail is Japan's largest rail passenger service provider. It's estimated that 70% of Tokyo's workforce commutes to work by train. Japan Rail cites the morning hour between 8am and 9am as the busiest in train stations throughout Japan with the busiest evening hour being between 5pm and 6pm. This is true of Shinjuku Station, in the heart of Japan's business district. Japan Rail's numbers are of actual people going through ticket gates. When people trot out the old "overwoked" Japanese canard they are referring to sectors such as finance, marketing or agriculture. Excessive overtime is specific to those sectors throughout the world.

"Kind of sounds like you just came here,"

I've been here since 1988. Besides teaching I also run a youth ice hockey program. We currently have 70 players in our program. We practice Wednesday and Friday 7:30pm to 9pm and Saturdays and Sundays 7am-9am in the mornings and 8pm to 10pm in the evening. Around 80% of those kids are driven to the rink by their fathers, fathers who couldn't be there if they were working overtime excessively.

" Japan is built on one person always being home taking care of the kids, while fewer and fewer are able to afford to do that,"

We've raised 5 kids with my wife staying home on my teacher's salary...without any issues whatsoever. It's far less expensive raising children in Japan than it is in my native Canada...far less

Great, Geeter, but the report is not about your family and life experience in Japan.

The WEF cares zero about Japanese women. Thier only interest is to highlight or manufacture a problem and then offer themselves as the solution in order to gain control. Japan should ignore them.

"Great, Geeter, but the report is not about your family and life experience in Japan."

That's true

However, there was a claim that OECD's data was dubious and the person making the claim used their anecdotal experience to counter OECD's data.

" I never logged one overtime hour while working for a Japanese company, Japan would definitely be in the top 3 if it was actually logged, but it rarely is"

Ergo, I offered up my experience of running a youth hockey program in which roughly 80% of the 70 fathers of our players drive their kids to the 4 practices per week that we have and with the times. This as well as JR's data which corroborates OECD's data.

As for the health of women, I used the women in my family as an example of what exceptional health care is available to all women in Japan, not just wealthy women like in America. A

Also, there was a claim about a lack of "affordable housing". That is absolute nonsense. The average cost of a home in Tokyo is $330,000. The average cost of a home in Toronto, Canada is 1.3 million! We paid the equivalent of $150,000 for our home in 2020.

While it's true this isn't about my family, it's often beneficial to provide examples to illustrate a point.

Cheers!

"Great, Geeter, but the report is not about your family and life experience in Japan."

There were also key prompts such as "I don't know where you're from" and "it kind of sounds like you just came here" that were specifically about me. So I responded to those...

@Ilyas and Wolfshine -- your understanding of how flawed this survey is, and has always been, is correct. You can read it here:

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2024.pdf

...and the shamefully-flawed methodology is explained on page 64. I quote:

The third distinguishing feature of the Global Gender Gap Index is that it ranks countries according to their proximity to gender equality rather than to women’s empowerment. Our aim is to focus on whether the gap between women and men in the chosen indicators has declined, rather than whether women are winning the so-called “battle of the sexes”.

Sounds great. But the very next paragraph contradicts that:

*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. *

The last line tells the whole story: if a gap is in favor of women, there is no penalty, whereas if a gap is in favor of men, the country is penalized. A hypothetical country where boys were banned from going to school, could not vote or hold political office, and died a decade before women did would be a country with disgusting gender gaps... but it would get a perfect score on this survey. The quickest route to a higher score, if you're a dictator looking to move up on this list, is to start oppressing your boys and men, making sure they're never ahead of women in any field, but not paying any attention to areas where women are ahead.

The survey does the exact opposite of what it claims to do: it is a Women's Empowerment Index and not a gender gap index, because it looks only at gaps in one direction. Just call it the Women's Empowerment Index and be done with it. (Or, better yet, measure gaps in both directions so that the numbers will actually be meaningful and the name of the survey won't be so deceptive.)

I think we must seriously consider whether women would want to be equal with men. It's not something to aspire towards. Men tend to do more dangerous, dirty, undesirable work than women, which skews the results. According to physiological differences in many cases, men and women are suited to doing different things.

Concerned CitizenToday  12:05 am JST

The WEF cares zero about Japanese women. Thier only interest is to highlight or manufacture a problem and then offer themselves as the solution in order to gain control. Japan should ignore them.

The data they use comes directly from Japan, so I don't think they are fiddling with the numbers or anything.

The Japanese government is not complaining that anything is just made up. In fact, they often accept these reports and act on them, as you would know from reading the news about the effort to increase women's leadership roles in the Japanese government and business.

Other reports come to very similar conclusions about the gender gap in Japan, including local Japanese reports.

Are you equally disputing them all?

Are you asserting that Japanese women have equal opportunities and positions, support and similar narrow pay gaps, etc., as their peers in Western countries?

ThonTaddeoToday  08:57 am JST

@Ilyas and Wolfshine -- your understanding of how flawed this survey is, and has always been, is correct. You can read it here:

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2024.pdf

...and the shamefully-flawed methodology is explained on page 64. I quote:

The third distinguishing feature of the Global Gender Gap Index is that it ranks countries according to their proximity to gender equality rather than to women’s empowerment. Our aim is to focus on whether the gap between women and men in the chosen indicators has declined, rather than whether women are winning the so-called “battle of the sexes”.

Sounds great. But the very next paragraph contradicts that:

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**. 

The last line tells the whole story: if a gap is in favor of women, there is no penalty, whereas if a gap is in favor of men, the country is penalized. A hypothetical country where boys were banned from going to school, could not vote or hold political office, and died a decade before women did would be a country with disgusting gender gaps... but it would get a perfect score on this survey. The quickest route to a higher score, if you're a dictator looking to move up on this list, is to start oppressing your boys and men, making sure they're never ahead of women in any field, but not paying any attention to areas where women are ahead.

The survey does the exact opposite of what it claims to do: it is a Women's Empowerment Index and not a gender gap index, because it looks only at gaps in one direction. Just call it the Women's Empowerment Index and be done with it. (Or, better yet, measure gaps in both directions so that the numbers will actually be meaningful and the name of the survey won't be so deceptive

Are you equally critical of international reports that show Japan in a more favourable light, or do you only scrutinise and discredit organisations when Japan does not rank highly in their reports?

Are you equally critical of the Nobel organisation, often seen as Western-centric and elitist, when a Japanese person wins a Nobel award?

You can't have it both ways. You can't attack reports that portray Japan favourably and criticise those that don't. That would be hypocritical.

Japan Inc.'s old fashioned values by the old fashioned higher ups.

It makes sense. Some of the Japanese women I know and work with, most of whom have chosen to leave Japan to study or live, say most Japanese women accept the way things are and have little idea how better the situation is in other nations.

I just asked one Japanese woman friend who is emigrating to New Zealand with her children what she thought about the report, and she responded:

'Japan is f*^%d for women, and they have no idea."

"In my work, women are expected to shut up and let men do everything with responsibility."

dido wrote

"You can't have it both ways. You can't attack reports that portray Japan favourably and criticise those that don't. That would be hypocritical."*

Do you dispute OECD's comprehensive data that ranks Japan as 31st in the world for hours worked per annum as well as JR's corroborating data about the busiest hours in train stations throughout Japan?

Japan Inc.'s old fashioned values by the old fashioned higher ups.

Those old fashion values begin in the home where the "highest up" is the Queen Bee

"In my work, women are expected to shut up and let men do everything with responsibility."

In my school, a woman is vice principal

IMHO, these surveys' results need to be taken with a grain of salt since a ranking in one area can be vastly different from a ranking in another area. All results need to be carefully scrutinized collectively to see a more accurate reality. I'm not against them by any means, but the bigger picture should be mentioned, too.

Are you equally critical of international reports that show Japan in a more favourable light, or do you only scrutinise and discredit organisations when Japan does not rank highly in their reports?

Of course I am. Flawed research methods remain flawed no matter whom they favor or disfavor.

Are you equally critical of the Nobel organisation, often seen as Western-centric and elitist, when a Japanese person wins a Nobel award?

Is there some recipient you have in mind? My criticism of this survey does not mention Japan and would be the same no matter where any particular country ranked. If the Nobel Prize organizers use flawed and biased methods to choose recipients, then they deserve criticism.