Elise Hu
Renho Murata, the leader of Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Renho Murata, the leader of Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party.
For the first time in Japanese history three women of different political persuasions are in positions that could be stepping stones to the prime minister’s office.
It’s especially notable in Japan, where women’s labor force participation remains among the lowest among developed nations, and gender roles are traditionally-defined.
“Women have not really been coached or mentored or encouraged to take on leadership roles,” Kyoto University diplomacy professor Nancy Snow explains. “Also, women aren’t allowed [culturally] to often show ambition, to sort of telegraph that. ”
Lack of childcare options in Japan — and the cultural pressure for women to take on household duties — means it’s the moms here who drop out of work.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada.
The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag
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Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada.
In official registries, married women to this day are listed, along with children, as part of a man’s household. If they’re single, part of their parents’ household.
“I think it really goes back to the social hierarchy, the way that [Japan has] been for decades,” Snow says.
Women make up 43 percent of the labor force in Japan — with more than half of them in part-time jobs. That’s far below the 57 percent of working women in the U.
