Tag - womens-issues

 
 

WOMEN'S ISSUES

Italian women are having fewer children — with some eschewing motherhood altogether.
WORLD / Society
Mar 11, 2024
Italian women are burying the myth of the mamma
Italy has one of the lowest birthrates in the world at 1.24 — well below the level needed for the population to sustain itself without immigration.
Actress Yumi Ishikawa speaks during an interview on Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024
'KuToo' campaign leader wants to bring attention to sexual abuse
Ishikawa believes that behind the issue of sexual abuse is the unspoken assumption within Japanese society that there is no such thing as discrimination.
A march calling for gender equality in London in 2019. Women are still paid less than men for the same work, but real equality means more than just eliminating wage disparities.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2024
A zero gender pay gap is the goal. But what happens next?
Eliminating the gender pay gap is vital, but it isn't the be-all and end-all. So much more needs to be done to achieve true equality at work and beyond.
Research from the International Monetary Fund suggests that gains from fully closing the gender gap in labor markets could increase gross domestic product in developing economies by 23% on average.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 8, 2024
The economic power of gender equality
There is ample empirical research demonstrating that gender equality delivers better results for people, for the planet and for profits.
Plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit over Japan's separate surname rule head into the Tokyo District Court on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 8, 2024
Group files lawsuit over Japan law that mandates couples share a surname
Similar lawsuits have been filed before, but public opinion appears to be shifting in favor of allowing couples to have separate surnames.
University students participate in a job hunting seminar in Yokohama on March 1. Japan is ranked last among 38 countries in the OECD for its proportion of female graduates in STEM fields.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024
More Japanese universities adding female admission quotas for STEM fields
The trend comes amid concerns over the nation's low level of female participation in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math.
Kathy Matsui in 2019
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2024
Ex-Goldman executive Kathy Matsui says womenomics needs work
Matsui said the effort to increase women in leadership positions is "a matter of trial and error to find the best fit” for companies.
Demonstrators hold a banner as they take part in a march to call for gender equality and protest against gender discrimination as part of an International Women’s Day march in Tokyo in 2021.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 8, 2024
Recognizing the vocabulary surrounding International Women’s Day
Many of the terms describing issues women are facing in Japan have a string of complex kanji. Knowing the basics can go a long way in aiding understanding.
Masaya Shibasaki, 26, an employee of EXEO Group, reacts as he tries the Osaka Heart Cool-developed VR electrical device Perionoid, which simulates menstrual pain, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 8, 2024
Japanese male office workers experience simulated menstrual pain
Companies are required to offer menstrual leave, but the time off doesn't have to be paid and around half of female workers never take it.
An event for female coders in New York in 2013. Women’s full participation is key to ensure technologies like AI help bridge the gender gap.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2024
Now is our chance to govern AI for women’s empowerment
The pace of AI development may seem relentless, but there's still time to create safeguards to ensure that innovation doesn't perpetuate gender inequality.
Beyond factors such as the "motherhood penalty," Japanese women struggle to advance in their careers due to the structure of the workforce, including the two-tiered clerical versus managerial track.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2024
Why is it taking so long to break the glass ceiling?
Japan isn't unique in having a thick glass ceiling, but some factors don't apply to other countries, like the U.S., where many more managers are women.
Mayuko Kashiwazaki tries on her mask after getting into costume before a dress rehearsal for "Dojoji," a famous noh drama about the revenge of a betrayed woman.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 7, 2024
An 'all-women' noh production challenges traditional Japanese ideas
While women have been involved in noh for decades, older audiences tend to expect an all-male cast. Now, actors believe the times are changing.
A woman peels sugar cane on a railway track to sell it to sugar cane juice vendors in a slum area in Kolkata.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 7, 2024
Climate migrants in India have hysterectomies to keep working: report
The move helps women ensure that periods or pregnancy don't stop them from working.
Chai Wanrou at the Daming Palace National Heritage Park, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. The 28-year-old is part of a growing movement that envisions a future with no husband and no children.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 7, 2024
More Chinese women choosing singledom as economy stutters
Chinese President Xi Jinping last year stressed the need to "cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing."
Rina Gonoi (center) receives an award from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a ceremony in Washington on Monday, with First Lady Jill Biden standing next to her.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2024
Rina Gonoi attends White House ceremony for women of courage award
Gonoi received the International Women of Courage Award for leading a public campaign against sexual harassment.
Akiko Ito, former commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency, will be Canon's first female board member if approved at its general shareholders’ meeting on March 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024
ISS backs Canon CEO after nomination of first woman to board
Japanese firms have been slow to appoint women to senior executive roles. But they’re now facing growing pressure to meet stricter standards.
Rina Gonoi, a former Self-Defense Forces member who accused colleagues of sexually assaulting her during her time in the military, speaks during an interview in Yokohama last December.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 2, 2024
Japanese ex-soldier wins U.S. award for fight against sexual harassment
The U.S. will honor former Self-Defense Forces soldier Rina Gonoi with the International Women of Courage Award.
When Fighters interpreter Shinju Sakuma set her mind on becoming a language liaison in sports, she picked a sport she enjoyed watching and an employer who thinks outside the box.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 26, 2024
Rookie female interpreter provides voice for foreign baseball stars in Japan
Shinju Sakuma, who will graduate from Rikkyo University in Tokyo this spring, is believed to be the first female interpreter in NPB history.
The low proportion of women in paid employment in India is a matter of serious concern and policymakers should focus more on generating demand for female labor
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2024
Are social norms really the main cause of low female employment?
The proportion of women in paid work remains very low in India, despite the economy experiencing high rates of growth and rapid poverty reduction.
Doosan Bears fans during a game in Seoul in April 2022
SPORTS
Feb 21, 2024
Women outnumber men in South Korea’s sports stadiums
Women in South Korea make up 55% of fans at professional sporting events, including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals