Le donne giapponesi raccontano la loro realtà: la scioccante mancanza di rispetto da parte della …

Le donne giapponesi raccontano la loro realtà: la scioccante mancanza di rispetto da parte della …

In 2023, the World Economic Forum conducted a 
global survey on gender gaps. Among 146 countries, Japan ranked 125th, which was near the 
bottom and the lowest in history for Japan. This news was widely reported by Japanese 
media and sent a shock wave across the nation. While Japanese people generally understand 
that gender gap is a problem in their country, they don’t necessarily think that they are that 
far behind the rest of the world. As a developed country and a member of G7, ranking 125th in 
something is not usually acceptable for Japan. In the government’s official response 
to this shockingly low ranking, the Chief Cabinet Secretary says that Japan 
needs to humbly accept that this is a problem. He also states that the government is actively 
working on policies to address women’s issues. In this street interview, people are shocked by 
the low ranking. This man thinks the ranking is unacceptable for a developed country and there 
should be more women’s participation in politics. This woman thinks young Japanese women are 
not given enough opportunities to shoulder important responsibilities. This woman thinks 
older Japanese men play an important role in suppressing women’s potential. She thinks Japan 
is lagging behind other developed countries. This man thinks Japanese women lack awareness of sexism and Japanese society often 
dismisses accusations of sexism. A deeper look into the survey reveals that Japan’s low ranking is majorly affected by 
the lack of women’s participation in politics and governance. Japan’s ranking in 
women’s economic equality is also abysmal. In terms of gender equality in education 
and health, Japan is performing much better. In the newest version of the 
survey published in 2025, Japan climbed up to 118th, which is an 
improvement but still not that impressive. This is Kishimoto Kyoko, and she is one 
of the only women in leading positions in her city government. She says she was 
motivated to enter the government by the fact that policies were only made by 
men. She was deeply frustrated that policies that governed women’s issues were 
decided by only men. In her city government, men in their 40s are employed in a wide 
variety of positions, but women in their 40s are virtually only employed in customer 
service or clerical work. She says this might be due to HR’s biases in thinking women are more 
suited to customer service and clerical work. Sexism holding back women from leadership 
roles is even understood by little kids. In this heartbreaking interview, this little 
girl is asked why she thinks there are so few women mayors, and she says it’s 
because people don’t trust women. For those born before 1977, gender 
difference was formally instituted in Japan’s education system by dividing 
the curriculum for boys and girls. Boys would be taught technical work, and 
girls would be taught domestic work. For those born after 1977, the education system 
abolished this gender difference, and both boys and girls were taught technical and domestic 
work. After this change in the education system, men’s participation in domestic work and women’s 
income significantly increased. Although progress has been made, a large percentage of Japanese 
people who are alive today are still from older generations where women were explicitly taught by 
the education system to focus on domestic work. This woman in her 40s working at a 
big manufacturing company explains why promotion is difficult for women. She says that 
in her company, promotion is done through being recommended by their superiors, and the superiors 
simply don’t recommend women. She thinks that promotion in her company is not based on skills 
but rather on life stages. Men are seen as needing to be promoted when they enter a later life stage 
where they need to shoulder more responsibilities. On the other hand, women are not 
seen as having such a life stage, so their promotion is seen as unnecessary. 
She says that men in her company who do the same work as her have salaries that 
are several million yen higher than her. This type of promotion system based on life stages 
rather than skills is actually pretty common in Japan. The promotion system that the woman was 
referring to is called the Nenko system in Japan, which is a seniority-based system where 
employees’ ranking and salaries are primarily determined by their age. This system 
is meant to promote loyalty and stability by ensuring that employees have the appropriate 
amount of income for different life stages. For example, when employees are young and single, 
they are paid little, but when they get older and enter life stages like marriage, having children, 
and preparing for retirement, they are paid more. In Japan, the Nenko system is often criticized 
for discouraging meritocracy and enforcing biases based on factors like age, gender, and marital 
status. Other than women and young people, members of the LGBTQ community can also suffer 
from unfair treatment in the Nenko system since heterosexual marriage and having children are 
seen as important life stages for promotion. Professor Kishida Miki of Ritsumeikan University 
points out that women’s low pay is largely due to the fact that they are stuck in irregular 
employment. She also points out that corporate cultures are based on hierarchies. To 
maintain the hierarchical structure, companies usually find it justifiable 
to put women on the lower ends of the hierarchy since women are perceived as 
needing to devote time to domestic duties. According to 2023 government statistics, a 
whopping 50% of women are irregularly employed, compared to only 17% of men. In Japan’s labor 
system, the pay gap between regular and irregular employment is extremely difficult to overcome 
because people with irregular employment histories are generally seen as unworthy of regular 
employment. Those who are trapped in lowly paid irregular positions usually have a very difficult 
time being promoted to regular positions. The problem of irregular employment is 
recognized by the Japanese government. The Ministry of Labor advocates 
for a concept called “same work, same pay.” In Japan, it’s very common for 
regular and irregular workers to do the same work but get paid differently. The 
Ministry of Labor recognizes this gap as a systematic inequality in the labor market and 
has implemented laws and policies to address it. This graph compares women’s general employment 
rate to employment rate as regular employees for each age group. As you can see, women’s employment 
rate remains high for basically all age groups. However, the rate of being employed in regular 
positions drops sharply after mid 20s to early 30s, which is usually the age of childbirth. Women 
being unable to return to regular positions after childbirth is a major factor in their low pay over 
a lifetime. These numbers tell us that Japanese women are lowly paid not because they don’t 
work. They work throughout their entire lives, but in irregular positions associated with 
low pay, low recognition, and less benefits. Unlike regular workers, irregular workers do not 
have big salary bumps in later career stages as they become experienced. Being trapped in 
irregular employment in older ages means that your accumulated experiences over the 
years do not convert into higher salaries. This leads to drastically lower income over 
a lifetime since later career stages are when people make the most money. This graph published 
by the Ministry of Labor shows the gender gap in salary increases over different age ranges. Women 
and men start their careers with similar pay, but men get significant salary bumps later in 
their careers and women don’t. This gap is due to several factors. First, men are mostly 
employed as regular workers, meaning that their accumulated experiences lead to salary 
bumps, which is not the case for irregularly employed women. Secondly, men don’t drop out 
of the regular workforce after childbirth. Third, women might be barred from highly 
paid leadership roles in later career stages. Whereas many people assume that low pay is 
not a problem for Japanese women since they can just get money from their husbands, that’s 
not necessarily the reality. In a 2022 survey that studies irregularly employed women, 66.9% 
report that they feel financially insecure. 57.6% report that they suffer from daily 
anxiety about financial insecurity. 54.8% report that they constantly worry 
about how they can afford retirement. This community seminar about women’s leadership is 
led by Professor Katsuki Yoko of Himeji Hinomoto College. She says that some young women 
today are still trapped by the traditional mentality that they will be financially 
taken care of by their future husbands. She emphasizes that this thinking is 
delusional. She points out that the average salary for 30 year old Japanese 
men is about 3 million yen, and the only way to be financially comfortable is if the wife 
makes the same amount of money as the husband. Before we end, I would like to personally 
say thank you to my supporter Victor S. For more translation of Japanese media, 
please visit japan-media-review.com. I’m also on Bluesky right now, so please follow 
me there if you are also on Bluesky. Please consider supporting me on Patreon if you 
like my content. I will see you next time.

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Sources












https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000144972.html

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/z2024/dl/14.pdf
https://www.jtuc-rengo.or.jp/info/chousa/data/20220331.pdf?31

Reality of Japanese Women: Sexism, Gender Pay Gap, Glass Ceiling, and Financial Insecurity

Japan is often seen as a highly developed and modern nation, yet it ranks shockingly low in global gender equality. In this revealing documentary, we investigate why Japan placed 125th out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Gender Gap Report—a ranking that has raised alarms both inside and outside the country.

This video uncovers how deep-rooted sexism affects every level of Japanese society. From unequal representation in politics to discriminatory hiring and promotion practices, women in Japan face structural challenges that keep them from advancing in their careers and gaining financial independence.

We speak with everyday citizens, scholars, and professionals to understand how traditional norms, outdated employment systems like the Nenko seniority model, and cultural expectations around marriage and motherhood contribute to persistent gender disparities. Although the Japanese government has introduced initiatives such as “equal pay for equal work,” the impact remains limited.

Topics explored include:

Japan’s placement in international gender rankings

Underrepresentation of women in politics and leadership roles

Wage inequality and the rise of irregular employment for women

Social conditioning from the education system

Workplace discrimination and career stagnation

Economic insecurity among women across generations

You’ll hear stories from women who’ve faced invisible ceilings in corporate Japan, young people reflecting on their country’s gender norms, and experts who explain how deeply ingrained systems continue to disadvantage women.

Whether you’re interested in gender issues, social justice, labor economics, or Japanese culture, this documentary provides critical insight into the ongoing fight for gender equality in one of the world’s most advanced economies.

This film features:

Firsthand interviews with Japanese workers and thought leaders

Analysis of historical education policies that shaped gender roles

Coverage of government responses and legal reforms

Real-life stories that illustrate the economic cost of inequality

Watch now to understand why gender equality in Japan remains out of reach—and what needs to change.

#documentary #japaneseculture #japan #japannews #feminism #women #womenempowerment #women_issues #genderequality