Re: "Labor law protects expectant and new mothers — to a point" by Hifumi Okunuki (Labor Pains, Oct. 16):
Japanese society has long been "traditional" in the sense that women who became pregnant, or even simply got married, were expected to end their working lives and stay at home in support of their husband and family. While this is changing, it's not happening fast enough.
Often egged on by older women in the family who lived such a life themselves, many women today judge themselves and are judged in terms of their potential as wives and mothers. This often means a lifetime career ranging from making hubby's bentō, to raising the children, to caring for the elderly in-laws — all noble endeavors, but none financially productive in an economy with a shrinking workforce.