Introduction:
Been to Japan once before, from a more superficial view Interested in women’s rights around the world Japan is unique bc democracy, 3rd largest economy, yet extreme gap between genders Birth rate is tied to economy, which is tied to women’s rights in the workplace and at home 2. Research: 1. Biases: Japanese husbands don’t spend a lot of time with children; few women maintain careers after having children, but there are many exceptions 2. Watching interviews and reading articles from reputable domestic and international sources 3. in-person conversations 3. What you learned: 1. Japan has an extremely high number of college-educated women, but 77% of the part-time workforce is female 2. young married mothers are largely absent from the workforce—-why? -matahara: maternity harassment 3. Employed women quit their jobs 62 percent of the time after childbirth 4. Employers are not allowed to fire a woman within 30 days of returning from maternity leave and are not allowed to fire based on pregnancy, but many do so and use other reasons 5. Over a quarter of working women have experienced matahara—-demotion, mocking, etc for being pregnant in the workplace 6. Japan wants its women to work and hold higher-paying jobs, and wants them to have children, but the corporate culture prevents both from happening. 4. Comparative narratives: Japan and US 1. Both nations have a high number of women in college 2. 43% women work in Japan, 47% in US (similar) 3. US: 12 wks leave, Japan: 8 4. Pregnancy harassment is not tolerated by the law as easily in the US 5. Conclusion: 1. Matahara highlights economic, cultural, and women’s rights issues 2. Attitude shift is needed in the workplace and the general population
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Ann EvansMy 3 Weeks in Japan with UW Honors and Waseda University Archives
September 2017
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