Japanese women are an enigma to the world. On one hand, they are portrayed by popular media as second-class citizens in a stubbornly chauvinistic culture. On the other, a small but rising number of women do advance their long careers despite adversity, although collectively less prominent than their Western peers.
Are these female pioneers a privileged breed? Or are they mere mortals who manage to find an equilibrium, outside the Western end goal of “having it all”? Is there an underappreciated advantage to being a minority, just as there is a disadvantage to being a majority?
This series is an attempt to answer these questions through first-hand interviews with these successful Japanese women. The experiences of these women are highly varied, a testament to the rich diversity of Japanese women’s professional lives.