Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Japanese Women Choosing Careers over Children

In recent years, select Asian nations have been working to close the gender gap that has been separating men and women from attaining equal opportunities socially, politically, and economically. Thanks to the Basic Act for Gender-Equal Society an equality-based government, Japan, in particular, has stepped to the forefront of the issue, finding a place above almost all other countries for female education, health, and survival. For many years now, the Japanese government has created a society where men and women can be treated equally and given similar hopes for their futures. Japanese women were even counted for over 40% of the nation’s corporate employees in 2014, an impressive statistic considering the part of the world that they are in. However, this notable accomplishment brings a serious issue to light: Japan’s population is dropping, and at quite a fast rate.


This rapid decrease in population is due to a lack of immigration and, more importantly, falling birth rates. While women are developing powerful, independent images for themselves all throughout society, they are also making decisions of staying single. For many female workers nowadays, there is the impression that “marriage is a grave”for their hard-earned careers. When a woman marries, her boss assumes that she will get pregnant, which causes a myriad of issues for her job. Once she has a child, her hours become inflexible and it becomes virtually impossible for her to balance her children and her profession. All chances for promotion stop, forcing women to make decide between raising a family and keeping her career. However, as the world economy and success pose growing challenges, women are beginning to give up more in order to survive in this competitive culture. Essentially, more women are making the decision to keep their professional life, stay single, leave behind a life as a mother. This has caused Japan’s national population to begin a downward trend. In 2014, the nation’s population dropped by its largest amount, and this decline is only expected to worsen. Currently, the population is projected to drop to 86.7 million people by the year 2060, a vast concern to people all around the world.


 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/10/22/japans-sexual-apathy-is-endangering-the-global-economy/

In attempt to fix this issue, Japanese businesses are working to find ways for their female employees to simultaneously care for their children and keep their jobs. They are attempting to create environments where women can work and watch their children. In addition, various universities around the nation are working to create programs that support women in making a return to work after childbirth. Despite all of these efforts, Japan knows that there is still much for them to do in order to save their decreasing population. Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, recognizes that “It's obvious that getting married and having children is a matter of personal freedom. To create a society that is supportive of child-rearing parents is a role of government, and we are also working to realize a society where women can shine." It is clear that Japan has made great strides in what it has done for its people in recent years. But to make this nation the best that it can be is going to take a great deal more of effort than anyone anticipated.



The concept of women’s roles in society as the ones who must reproduce connects to the way that women are seen in the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale. While women are now approaching the role of men’s equals in the professional world, they remain the only ones who can give birth and help to continue a healthy growth of population. Our world is still dependent on this function of females' bodies, similar to the way that the Commanders and Aunts force the women to get pregnant and have children in the novel.  

Discussion Questions:
  1. If there were a current main focus for the Japanese government, do you believe that it should be continuing to close the gender gap or working to increase the population? Why?
  2. What are more ways to allow women to marry and have children, as well as have a successful career?
  3. Why do you think profession has become a higher priority than reproduction?
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