Most disappointingly, Japan — the world's No. 3 economy — was ranked among the most unequal countries in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2020, coming at 121st out of 153 countries. It is this nation's worst showing since the annual report was first published in 2006.
The situation has gradually improved since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to have women occupy 30 percent of leadership positions in every business field by 2020 under the slogan "a society where women can shine." Yet the pace of reform is slow compared with what's happening in other nations, so it comes as little surprise that Japan's ranking is so low. The government must work harder to narrow the gender gap.
In the past few years many countries have made remarkable achievements in the empowerment of women. In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became the second elected leader in the world to give birth while in office, following Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto in 1990. This month Finland elected the world's youngest prime minister, Sanna Marin, 34, and women outnumber men in her Cabinet.