Womenomics-Gender Equality in

Japan Part 1
The term “Womenomics” has been around for the last few
years, serving as a catchphrase that is synonymous with
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s agenda to promote
gender equality in the workplace. (As shown by google
rankings). However, the term has been around since the
early noughties and is used to describe how women and
equality are linked to the economy.
Womenomics was brought into the public consciousness
by the popular book of the same name. The authors-
Claire Shipman and Katty Kay say that women “Do not
have to do it all to have it all” and since publication and
the subsequent success of the book, the term has evolved,
A book of the same name - Womenomics a
New York Times best seller becoming closely associated with politics and gender
equality.
“Womenomics” now conjures up images of empowered women who can obtain a work life
balance, make choices and break through the glass ceiling (or, as I recently learnt named the
“bamboo ceiling” in Japan referring to an impenetrable layer that one cannot even see
beyond let alone break through. (At least glass is transparent)!!
What many people may not be aware of is that the debate about Japanese women and work
place equality is not new. A similar agenda called “The Vision” was introduced in 1997 and
outlined the importance of women in the workplace and the ways in which inequality would
be addressed showing that Womenomics goes back 2 decades, (although the gender equality
debate in Japan dates back to the 19th century) and history repeats itself, albeit and as always
with a different government and a new way of presenting the same issue.
As it currently stands, Womenomics is embedded into Abenomics vision of what Osbourne in
the Australian online news referred to as a “3 arrowed assault on the 3D’s - Debt,
Demographics and Deflation”, aka fiscal policy, economic growth/structural reforms and
monetary policy. This 3-pronged approach addresses the issue of an ageing population and
the future (and current) effects this has on Japan’s economy.
Japan’s reluctance to accept immigration as a solution
to the problem means that Womenomics slots nicely
into Abe’s vision to reduce debt and address a
decreasing workforce focussing on a domestic as
opposed to an international solution, but rather than
being just a practical approach to an obvious problem,
Womenomics raises an old debate in a new world
about women’s roles in Japanese society.
In a surprisingly similar paradigm, the 1997 LDP led by
Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro focussed on an
agenda called “The Vision” which was developed to
“achieve genuine equality of men and women”.
According to Mari Osawa who wrote a paper entitled.
“Japanese Government approaches to gender equality
in the mid 90’s,” this approach veered towards the
concept of a “gender free society” -Jenda Karano Kaiho- The cover of May 18-24 edition of the Economist

Prior to the new vision, businesses hiring women were only required to make “due effort” to
accommodate women in the work place, which some felt did not go far enough. The Japanese
perspective on gender equality was also one in which equality took what was considered
“natural” or biological differences between genders into consideration noting that nature
would impact on social roles.
The arguments against this approach arose from
certain “protective” measures (mainly about
protecting motherhood – bosei hogo) which if
implemented honestly, demonstrated a balanced
perspective and understanding about gender
biological differences, as well as economical
requirements for mothers and -could be argued- did
indeed show a respect for womanhood. (Up until the
early 80’s women were even entitled to menstruation
leave in Japan and other Asian countries! Some Asian
countries have recently re-instated this policy in
certain areas). However, many felt that the protective
measures were interpreted in a way that led to
discrimination in a male dominated workplace.
The new approach sought to remove the issue of
An "Oyaji" girl illustration capturing the image of gender, giving women the same options as men and
an ambitious Japanese female. Note the large
briefcase and confident stance- hands on hip, eliminating the need to take ‘natural imperatives’ into
head thrown back-. This epitomised an era consideration. “The Vision” encouraged a more
when Japan became open to the idea of women
having careers. The Kanji at the top means
individual approach to achieving gender equality. This
‘increasing rapidly’ was radical in a society that functions on the premise
of the collective good first and foremost.
As was the case with the passing of the 1986 Equal Opportunities law with traditionalists
threatening to sabotage the law by any means necessary, forecasting the end of Japanese
culture and stating that bad influences from the west were taking over- a very public backlash
ensued during the 1997 new “vision”
Whether good or bad, it cannot be argued that western ideals did not have an influence on
the new agenda. It was even noted that, for the first time in history, an English word (gender)
was part of a public policy Japanese document, differentiating between the Japanese
translation or concept of gender as ‘sex’ which in this context was perceived as meaning
“natural differences” rather than “gender equal”.
The new 1997 vision in Japan appeared to mimic the 80’s western perspective of feminism,
when images of shoulder padded ‘power women’ striding into the boardroom, sitting at the
helm, overshadowing her male co-workers and demanding to be treated as an equal were the
rage. In some respects, this encouraged a more “gender free” approach to breaking through
the glass ceiling.
Popular western culture reflected the cultural revolution
during this era in films such as The Colour Purple (Oprah
Winfrey 1985), Yentl (Barbara Streisand 1983), 9-5 (Dolly
Parton 1980) and Private Benjamin (Goldie Hawn 1980). All
films featured strong female leads with storylines centred
around empowered women overcoming a patriarchal
society and winning a battle of the genders. The message at
this time was clear - Women could do anything a man could
do and their choices were unlimited.
Whilst Western feminism in the 80’s (also defined as second
wave moving into third wave feminism) was seen as a
defining moment in time for gender equality, some may say
that the residues of the wave’s take on gender equality
eroded feminine and masculine societal roles and what was Goldie Hawn-Private Benjamin
viewed as the natural or biological imperative took a firm
back seat during this era.
This conflict is still at play as women continue to strive for work/life balance and acknowledge
that they don’t necessarily want to give up the idea of raising a family over their career, but
also don’t want to be saddled with all the responsibility that comes with having both.
Many successful western women I have met and spoken to who have chosen to pursue their
career over starting a family, when probed honestly, are proud of their achievements but also
wonder what their ‘other lives’ may have been if they had made different choices. For a brief
moment, there is a glimpse of sadness whilst perhaps they are imagining their lives
differently.
The proceeding decades raised debates about political correctness and feminism. For
example, was it inappropriate for men to hold a door open for a woman, who should pay on
the first date and who “wears the trousers” in a relationship. The “defeminisation” of women
leading to the “demasculisation” of men, blurred the boundaries and roles of each gender.
Whilst men floundered, not too sure of what
was expected of them and what constituted
“correct conduct” - women set out to prove
that, not only could they call the shots, but
they also did not require men in their
traditional roles.
At the same time, Japan passed a new Equal
Opportunities Law in 1986 which many felt
did not go far enough to address gender
equality, or which could be interpreted as
not keeping up with western ideals of
feminism - remember that “natural”
differences between genders were taken
into consideration in Japan.
Gender Equality Confusion! Changing societal roles raised
some interesting debates But the new law was also a sign of the times.
As the west went full throttle into a gender
equality reformation, Japan attempted to keep abreast whilst still maintaining a distance.
-It should be noted some Japanese feminists during the 80’s era adopted Western ideals, were
representatives of gender equality for their countries and given a public forum for their
opinions, but were the minority, seen as radical and did not reflect the true pace of the west’s
80’s feminist era in Japan. The law was subsequently revised in 1997 as part of the new
“vision” for gender equality and a gender free society.
Part 2 Womenomics -It’s Critics and Solutions outlines why Womenomics has fallen short of
expectations and how Womenomics can succeed. Coming Soon….

Further Reading
Japan’s 1986 Equal Opportunity Law and the Changing Discourse on Gender (Barbara
Moloney)
Japanese Government - Approaches to Gender Equality Since the mid 1990's(Marie Osawa)
The Japan Times Womenomics’ Push raises suspicion for lack of reality (Tomoko Otake)
The Times Japan is ready for anything but immigration (Alistair Osbourne 2015)
The Blog Ecovision (Yash Bartri)
Part 2 Womenomics- Its Critics and Solutions
Link to part 1 – Gender Equality in Japan Part 1
Part 1 in the Womenomics series looked at the history of gender equality in Japan and how the agenda has
evolved into its current form. Part 2 continues the debate observing the criticisms and possible solutions for
a successful outcome to the Womenomics agenda.

Abe’s Womenomics does not appear as radical as the 90’s “Vision” towards a gender free
Japan, - Note that the current Prime Minister wanted to squash the idea of a gender free
society when he was Secretary General for the LDP in 2005 - Womenomics may not be as
much an “about turn” as has been reported, but more a veer towards the middle ground-.
Critics have still noted that it has fallen short of expectations.
The original (and what some would call) optimistic target of a 30% increase of women in
leadership positions by 2020 -which has been decreased to a realistic 7%- leaves one
wondering why gender equality in the workplace has failed to take root after decades of
public policy, debates and changes to the law.
Possible reasons are;

 Laws and agendas are hard to implement in a conservative society where tradition still
prevails and expectations of the genders have considerable influence on everyday life.

 There is an obvious reluctance to destabilise or create a sense of disharmony, whilst

also acknowledging that in order to meet the targets in Abe’s 3-tiered approach to
stabilising Japan’s future economy - a change about how cultural norms and
traditional values will influence the future should be considered.

 A “Seniority based employment system” which promotes employees based on

perceptions of loyalty that include long hours and adherence to certain rules for men
and women concerning career progression.

 Abe’s failure to lead by example and promote more women in his government to
prominent positions, perhaps demonstrated by ‘An Old Boy’s Network’ that just can’t
‘get with the program’.

Abe wants Japan's women to shine –
Josei ga kagayaku shakia o tsukuru
Abe has said that he wants Japan’s women to “shine” So the
question is – How does Japan even begin to make such
fundamental changes for its future stability, whilst still
maintaining the tradition and culture which defines its
uniqueness and -so far- has led to a society with a relatively
stable economy and low crime rate?
Japan may rightly or wrongly fear destabilisation and
anything that challenges tradition and culture or the sense
of order that they have strove to maintain and Japan’s
politics demonstrates that a constant balancing act is always
at work. An example of this is shown in reports stating that
whilst promoting Womenomics, Abe has simultaneously
encouraged women to stay at home for the first 3 years of
their children’s lives with critics condemning this as a
dichotomy of his Womenomics agenda.

But is it?
In order for women to succeed in the workplace,
childcare and maternity benefits are an important part
of any approach, agenda or policy that encourages
women to take up leadership positions. If we look at
countries like Finland who are renowned for some of the
best maternity benefits in the world, Finland’s generous
package enables mothers to take extended maternity
leave, provides a maternity grant and importantly
incorporates generous paternity leave, whilst also giving
couples the choice in how they divide care of their
children giving parents flexibility. There are also benefits
that enable parents to continue caring for their children
at home after the age of 2 and both parents are given
the choice to work part time.
Whilst the focus on Womenomics in Japan is In order for Womenomics to succeed, men should
also be taken into consideration
obviously on women in the workplace, how far have
men been factored into the equation? Workplace
gender equality is more than just upping statistics and a holistic approach to understanding
the barriers that women face in gaining senior positions and attaining equality in the
workplace are complex and multi – layered.
Currently only 2.6% of men in Japan take paternity leave even though they are entitled to it –
perhaps due to the stigma attached to extended time away from work and the effect this may
have on their career.
Encouraging and maintaining family values in a collectivist society, the issue of child rearing
by both parents is an important consideration, so whilst Womenomics may be viewed as
challenging tradition does it actually go far enough?
Destabilisation occurs when one idea, policy or agenda is implemented in isolation. Whilst
Womenomics in Japan makes an admirable attempt to address the issues around gender
inequality and an ageing population, without also observing the barriers to women’s position
in the workplace which include cultural expectations and men’s roles in gender inequality,
Abe’s ‘shining’ women may be unable to find their rightful place in the spotlight.
The preservation of tradition and culture can be achieved through a strategic and phased
approach to change by looking beyond gender equality and understanding the connections
that cultural values have across everyday life. These considerations could play a bigger part
of the agenda.
Again, using Finland as an example, whilst their maternity and paternity benefits may have
garnered world renown, Finland has a culture that lends itself to these values which is shown
in different spheres of their society. Would it suit Japanese culture to adopt such practices?
Perhaps some, but probably not all, however what Finland has been able to achieve in regards
to gender equality and work life balance is seeing paternity and maternity benefits as working
synergistically and every country must find it’s individual balancing point within its own frame
of reference.
Another issue that should be taken into consideration as part of the Womenomics agenda is
the impact of an ageing population in Japan. Beyond the problem regarding the amount of
people who will be able to work in the future, women are often carers of elderly parents and
this can have a significant impact on women’s (and men’s) ability to succeed in the workplace.
It was recorded that in 2010 that over 390,000 women left their jobs to care for elderly
relatives and whilst a relatively small (but larger than other countries) percentage of women
in the workplace find themselves in a position where they have to make this choice, over 85%
believe that this could impact on their careers in the future.
One positive factor to take into
consideration is that Japanese women
are high achievers in education.
According to the Economist, Japanese
women top the league tables, however
the percentage of women who complete
tertiary education (as defined by the
OECD 2014 survey as a bachelors,
Masters or PHD) is marginally lower than
the other OECD listed countries, but still
last in the OECD league tables, with just under 50% of Japanese women going on to further
tertiary education. Has education also been factored into the Womenomics agenda?
There is still a long way to go and with reform there are always challenges, however
Womenomics thus far cannot be viewed as a failure. Since the start of the agenda, according
to a Financial times report, over 750,000 women in Japan have joined the workforce taking
the percentage of women joiners up by 3%. Abe is also encouraging big companies to
promote the agenda and has set targets for companies requiring them to publish statistics
about gender equality. Big business is taking this agenda seriously.
Critics have noted that it is a lot easier for larger companies to buy in to the agenda and small
and medium sized businesses are still struggling, but the point is that larger companies lead
the way and set an example. It should also be taken into account that an ongoing debate can
be used to address the limitations currently being experienced by smaller companies.
More childcare places have also become available, easing the way for women to enter the
workplace and Abenomics has also taken Japan’s ageing population into consideration as part
of the overarching 3-tiered approach towards economic stability with plans to care for the
elderly. This could also have a positive impact on Womenomics.
All new policies take time to implement and whilst Japan finds its feet regarding gender
equality issues, it was never going to be easy, but a slow and steady approach may be the
best way for Japan and its women to proceed.

Further Reading
Maternity and Paternity Benefits (Kela Finland Website)
These 10 Countries have the best leave policies in the world (Chris Geller)
OECD at a Glance Education 2016
The Economist – Holding Back Half the Nation
The FT Abe Pushes Womenomics to Shake up Japan’s Workforce Dynamic
Japan Times – Abe’s boys club makes mockery of Womenomics William Pesek
Gender Equality in Japan – The Equal Opportunity Law Re-visited Asia Pacific Journal
Stephanie Assman
The Blog Ecovision Yash Bartri