Suvendrini Kakuchi, a Sri Lankan journalist reporting for Inter Press Service, and a regular commentator on Asian issues for Japanese publications, writes about gender bias in the Japanese workplace.

”It is true that female workers are being taken more seriously in Japan. However, they still have a long way to go before they can fulfill their dreams of being career women,” said Yoko Yamaguchi, at the international division of Japan’s largest trade union Rengo…

Because of these harsh realities, Japanese businesses are forced to employ more women and even send their female staff up the corporate ladder in order to avert a stagnated economy…
”Corporate commitment to closing the gender gap is based on combating Japan’s aging population, not on nurturing women’s talents. Changing this attitude is important for women workers,” said Nobuo Yamaguchi, chairperson of the Japan Chamber of Commerce.

By tradition Japanese companies hire men almost exclusively to fill career positions, reserving shorter-term work, mostly clerical tasks and tea serving, for women, who are widely known in such jobs here as office ladies, or simply O.L.’s…

Still, whatever a woman’s qualifications, breaking into the career track requires overcoming entrenched biases, not least the feeling among managers that childbearing is an insupportable disruption. But that, too, seems to be changing.

Hitomi Nishihara, a labour analyst at Recruit Company, Japan’s leading employment firm, said more companies are starting new working shifts to help women stay in their jobs after marriage and child birth…”

Source: Kakuchi, Suvendrini. “Japan: Dwindling Workforce Forces a Rehink on Role of Women Workers.” Interpress News Service. May 16th, 2005. http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=28692

Next:  Pakistan