Japan's strategy for empowering women, now underway as a pillar of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's growth blueprint, faces a host of challenges such as a male-centered political culture and work practices limiting women's career advancement, according to a recent U.S. report.
The Congressional Research Service report on Abe's "womenomics" strategy points to the recent sexist heckling against a Tokyo assemblywoman as highlighting one such challenge, saying it reveals a "deeply ingrained political culture" that many critics say "disrespects female leaders and sees their role as largely in the home."
The Aug. 1 report, titled "'Womenonics' in Japan: In Brief," also noted that the customs of working long hours and drinking with colleagues after work as well as inflexible work hours have made it difficult to balance work and child-rearing.