Japan’s continuing struggle with gender equality

According to the most recent data, Japan recorded the lowest total births in 2021 at just 8,10,000. Japan also ranks lowest among developed countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2022. The two figures are connected by one factor – gender norms. Typically, we associate low gender equality with poor developing countries. However, gender inequality arises from many sources, with resource constraints being one, gender norms being the other. As the transition from developing to developed country, the former can be taken care of, the latter is not guaranteed. With the goal of turning India into a developed country by 2047, we must learn a few lessons from our eastern friend Japan, which is the world’s fourth largest economy.

Developed, yet ranked low

Japan ranks extremely low (at 116 out of 146 countries) in the Gender Gap Index 2022. This makes Japan the worst performer in the G7 group, where most countries rank between 10 and 27, leaving Italy at 63.

What is the explanation for this low rank for a highly developed country? Japan has a perfect score on gender equality in educational attainment. In fact, 15-year-old Japanese girls (and boys) score higher than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in scientific and mathematical literacy and reading performance. Women’s health and survival are also close to an absolute score of 0.97, including healthy life expectancy. Japan’s overall low rank in the Gender Gap Index stems from the low presence of women in leadership roles and politics. It ranks below 130 when it comes to women in parliament and women as senior officials and managers. Women account for only 10% of Japan’s parliamentary seats (as of April 2022), compared to around 30% or more in G7 countries. Japan has not had a female head of state in the past 50 years.

broad mindset

Controversies about sexism are common in parliament, company boardrooms and major institutions. For example, in 2021, the head of the Tokyo Olympic Committee, who was also a former prime minister, received a global backlash and was forced to resign for his sexist comments on why women should not attend board meetings. Because they talk too much. In political discourse, women have been referred to as birth machines (asked to produce at least three children). Although such statements were later retracted with an apology following public backlash, they reflect the societal mindset towards women in general. A few years ago, medical schools in Japan were reported to falsify the entrance test scores of female candidates, punishing them for their gender to ensure that 70% of enrolled students were male. Why? Apparently because women leave the medical profession later in life because of the responsibilities of marriage and child-rearing.

Evidence from Japan suggests that high per capita income does not guarantee gender equality as the latter is usually rooted in social and cultural norms. Japanese society is based on, and still conforms to, very strong gender norms of what men and women should do. It is still common to refer to one’s wife as kanai, which translates to indoors. An office worker in Japan is often referred to as a salaried – again, a gender term. A typical salaried image is that of a family-wage earner who works overtime, including on weekends. Keeping up with the boss’s work and then indulging in nomikai late in the evening or negotiating drinks are expected norms in Japanese work-life. This makes it impossible for married women, usually women with primary care, to build strong careers. That’s why most women engage in part-time and low-paying jobs such as secretaries and assistants. Mothers returning to the labor market receive a ‘mommy track’ career path with little or no progress. Women are considered unfit to be leaders reflecting their low numbers as company heads (8%). Central government in Japan has less than 5% of women in middle management and senior management. Japanese women earn about 57% more than men, making this pay gap one of the worst among OECD countries.

socio-economic impact

What are the consequences of such a gap? This disparity explains the sharp decline in marriage rates and fertility in Japan, which is among the worst among wealthy countries. Marriage rates in Japan have declined by 50% since 1970 and fertility has fallen to 1.3 children per woman (2021). The high opportunity cost of care and motherhood has made Japanese women see marriage and childbearing as a burden. This has created double trouble for the long-stalled Japanese economy. Consumption and investment have declined due to low marriage rates as singles consume and invest less than households. For example, singles rely more on rental housing than on being home owners. The low birth rate implies a steady decline in the future workforce and the increasing pension burden of the aging population on the financial account. The large wage gap in male-female income suppresses domestic demand as half of its population depends on low wages and temporary jobs.

‘Women’s Science’ and Reality

In an effort to revive the stagnant Japanese economy, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized ‘women’s science’ as one of his key policy measures. It aims to promote female labor participation and increase the percentage of women in leadership positions to 30% by 2020. However, this goal was not achieved, and even Abe’s own cabinet struggled to meet the target. The deadline was revised to 2030.

Will this goal be achieved? Last month, Japan’s land ministry hired an all-male lecturer staff to give public servants a course on community development and added 15 women only after strong public response.

Japan’s struggle with gender equality teaches us that investments in women’s education and health can have limited impact if that society is bogged down in gender norms that prevent women from capitalizing on these investments for themselves, society and country. Huh. Policy makers should take cognizance of such evidence as it could entangle us in other economic problems as we pave the way for a developed India by 2047.

Prajakta Khare is an Associate Professor of Economics at Meiji Gakuin University, Japan. Prachi Gupta is an assistant professor of economics at Temple University, Japan. Views expressed are personal