Answers for 30 questions pt.3

7. Why do men choose not to work?

In America, around 7 million men between the ages of 25 and 54 are neither working nor looking for work. And that amounts to 12% of all men in those prime working ages – and that doesn’t count another 2 million who are looking for work but haven’t found it. Most of them are disproportionately low-income men who either dropped out of high school or didn’t go beyond a high school diploma. One big reason these men aren’t working or looking for work because they’ve realized that employers aren’t interested in hiring workers with few skills or little education so they’ve given up.

*You can watch full discussion video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS5WYp5xmvI)

Reference:

Wessel, D. (2016, August 15). Men not at work: Why so many men aged 25 to 54 are not working. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/men-not-at-work-why-so-many-men-ages-of-25-to-54-are-not-working/

*The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.

8. What is "quota system"?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, "quota system is a method of setting a limit on how much of something a country or company is allowed to have, produce, import, etc." It is used in various fields, for example, in the politic world, universities, companies and so on. The definition from Cambridge Dictionary is a general term for quota system, but a specific term for quota system at companies are called hiring quotas. Hiring quotas are a method for establishing quantitative data and action points for hiring diverse candidates. Moreover, Hiring quotas attempt to increase the representation of historically marginalized or under-represented groups.

References:

quota system. (2024). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/quota-system

*It's one of the most reliable English dictionary.

Phr, T. F. (n.d.). Hiring quotas: 4 alternatives to quotas. EddySoftware. https://eddy.com/hr-encyclopedia/hiring-quota/

*It is an American company that dedicates in HR industry.

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of quota system?

Here are the some advantages and disadvantages of quota system.

Advantages

• Quotas for women do not discriminate, but compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share of the political seats.
• Women have the right as citizens to equal representation.
• Women's experiences are needed in political life.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion are some of the hottest corporate buzzwords and many organizations are looking for ways to take action to increase diversity so creating hiring quotas can be a useful tool for accountability within diversity hiring efforts.

Disadvantages

• Quotas are against the principle of equal opportunity for all, since women are given preference over men.
• Quotas are undemocratic, because voters should be able to decide who is elected.
• Quotas imply that politicians are elected because of their gender, not because of their qualifications and that more qualified candidates are pushed aside.
• Many women do not want to get elected just because they are women.
• A strict hiring quota misses the mark on the underlying reason for the quota.
• Implementing them can cause its own disparate impact, making them a problematic solution.

References:

Quotas | International IDEA. (n.d.). https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas-database/quotas

*The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports democracy worldwide.

https://eddy.com/hr-encyclopedia/hiring-quota/

*It is an American company that dedicates in HR industry.

Written by Shioppy

Answers for 30 questions pt.2

4. What are some difficulties women face when job hunting?

Some difficulties are women face when looking for employment are

Agism- some women over the age of 50 report that they find it difficult to be employed 

Coming back after child birth- they cannot work full time, and some even experienced having their breastfeeding rooms being taken over by meetings.

This is based on a post made on Linkedin by Valeria Ignatieva, a CEO of WORK180. 

Ignatieva, V. (2018, March 9). What are the biggest challenges faced by female job seekers today? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-biggest-challenges-faced-female-job-seekers-today-ignatieva

5. What are the issues women face in the workplace?

Flexible work arrangement- As women are often caretakers outside of work, they need more flexible working styles to fit their schedules.

Equal pay- Women are not paid as much as men even if they are working full time all year round. Women who work full time get paid around 83.7% of what men are paid. This is worse for Black and Hispanic women. (US statistics)

Sexual harassment- There can be physical, verbal, and nonverbal harrassment.

The top 10 issues women face at work - Rotman School of Management. (n.d.). https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Connect/Rotman-MAG/Issues/2017/Back-Issues---2017/Fall2017-Inequality/Fall2017-MiniArticle-IssuesWomenFace

5 Fast Facts: The gender wage gap. (2023, March 14). DOL Blog. https://blog.dol.gov/2023/03/14/5-fast-facts-the-gender-wage-gap

Noi, H. (2015). Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. In International Labour Organization.

6. Why do women choose to work?

A higher standard of living, living expenses, self-dependency, self-motivation etc.

Contributors, E. (2019, September 30). Why women need to work. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/earn/why-women-need-to-work/articleshow/71347546.cms?from=mdr

Singh, D. (2018, December 5). Why women should work? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-reasons-women-work-dharmveer-singh

Written by Manu

 

Answers for 30 questions pt.1

1.  What is the ratio of men and women in the workplace?

According to a 2016 survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the male-to-female ratio of salespeople was 83.6% male and 16.4% female.

Furthermore, according to a study conducted by Hokkaido University, the percentage of female clerical job workers was 60.2%, while the percentage of female service occupations workers was 68.2%.

References:

平成28年　労働力調査年報. (n.d.). 独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構. https://www.stat.go.jp/data/roudou/report/2016/index.htm

*It is from Japanese government organization called "独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構".

駒川 智子. (2023). 男女別にみる事務職の数的特徴 : 「賃金構造基本統計調査」からの分析. 北海道大学大学院教育学研究院紀要, 142, 73–83. https://doi.org/10.14943/b.edu.142.73

*It's a report from Hokkaido University.

2. What percentage of women are employed?

According to the White Paper on Gender Equality by the Japanese government in 2023, the employment rate by gender is around 80% for women and around 90% for men.

However the percentage of non-regular employment was 31.4% for those aged 23 to 34, 48.4% for those aged 35 to 44, and 54.9 percent for those aged 45 to 54.

This suggests that although the employment rate of women is increasing in all ages, the rate of women in non-regular employment tends to rise with age.

Reference:

The White Paper on Gender Equality 2023. (2023). Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office. https://www.gender.go.jp/about_danjo/whitepaper/r05/gaiyou/pdf/r05_gaiyou_en.pdf

*The information is from Japanese government office called "Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office."

3. What is the ratio of female managers in Japanese companies?

According to the results of the "Basic Survey on Equal Employment" released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in 2022, the percentage of women in management positions is 12.7%.

Reference:

管理職に占める女性の割合が12.7％で前回調査からわずかに上昇. (2023, October). 独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構. https://www.jil.go.jp/kokunai/blt/backnumber/2023/10/kokunai_02.html#:~:text=%E5%8E%9A%E7%94%9F%E5%8A%B4%E5%83%8D%E7%9C%81%E3%81%8C%E3%81%95%E3%81%8D%E3%81%94%E3

*It is from Japanese government organization called "独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構".

Written by Shioppy

Perspective of the quota system (POV retired women)

(This POV was constructed from the blog author's own research on the topic) 

From Tomoko Ikeda

I am Tomoko Ikeda, and recently, I have retired from the company I worked for 40 years.

40 years ago, when I was 22......I graduated from Kyoto University with a degree of science and soon after I started working at a major science firm in Osaka and became a researcher. It seemed that it was easy to get promoted since I have a passion for science and I am good at it. And also my bosses really liked me.

Then, I got pregnant at the age of 32 and had to leave a company for a while. I was really happy to have my very first child and my desire to get promoted hit a peak, since I thought I was responsible for my entire family.

After returning to my job, I think it was when I was 34, my situation in the workplace has completely changed. At the beginning, I thought I could adopt into the workplace even after having a child. But my expectation was totally wrong. Child can often get a sick and the amount of housework increased. I struggled doing all of the thing for my child and all the stuff for the housework by myself... So, after 6 months of struggle, I finally asked my husband to help and share duties and he agreed because he is a supportive men.

Later, I could balance my work and private life, I finally started thinking seriously my career and worked really, really hard at the workplace. I was promoted, but that I was not able to be promoted as much as men did. I ended up in a lower position compared to male coworker. I tried so hard so I don't regret my treatment at all.

However, I got a chance to talk with women who worked at US company where the quota system was introduced. She told me she could get promoted in her early stages because of the quota system, and finally became one of the executive of her company. Hearing her story, I wondered if the quota system was introduce, there might be chance for the promotion... but past is past, I don't care about the promotion anymore. 

BUT I hope the situation will be improved and also hope more and more companies to introduce the quota system for the future generations, especially for women who seek their promotions like me.

Written by Shioppy

Hybrid working style (POV unmarried man)

(This POV was constructed from the blog author's own research on the topic) 

From Kenta Nobe

I'm a medical engineer working in Tokyo, Japan.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, my company started a system where we can work remotely and now we have a hybrid style where I can choose to work from home a few days a week. For me, I really enjoyed the spare time I was able to make by working remotely, so I decided to go to my office 3 days a week, and for the rest, I worked online. This arrangement works perfectly for me as I need to commute for over an hour everyday to get to my office, so by working at home, I am able to cut that time and even get more time to sleep.

One rule I decided for myself is that I will not answer E-mails from collegues after I finished working whether I am at home or my office, because I realized that I was spending too much time on my phone. So, if you make a few rules on how to work remotely, I think people can make it work in their favor.

Written by Manu

My experience with remote work as a mother of two (POV a mother in a dual income household)

(This POV was constructed from the blog author's own research on the topic) 

 From Maki Suzuki

I am a 42 year old woman working for an IT company. I am married with children who are 7 and 10. I've always decided to keep my job even after giving birth, but it has honestly gotten increasingly difficult to manage. For years even though our family has double income and my husband and I promised to share domestic labor, most of the house hold work and invisible labor such as taking our kids to the doctor, going to their schools, and managing everyone's schedules have eventually fallen on me. It was difficult enough for me to handle a full time job on top of all of my duties at home. So, in 2020 when my company decided to implement remote work in our work system, I thought it was a great way for me to make time for myself and other responsibilities. Soon after I started working from home, I realized I could not have been more wrong. I thought I was going to have more time to do other things since I started working remotely, and so did my husband, so more house hold responsibility started to become my chores, and because I am in an environment where I can manage both domestic and paid labor, the two started to pile up on me both at the same time, and the distinction between work and my own time has become less and less clearer by the day. A couple months in, I realized that I was doing even more work for my company and family, and the little time I used to have for myself was basically non-existent. 

This experience proved to me that if you have responsibilities just as important at home as working outside is, you will end up not having a place for you to get away from either of them, and other people as well as you yourself will take your time for granted and make yourself work even more.

written by Manu

Perspective on quota system (POV a single man)

(This POV was constructed from the blog author's own research on the topic)  

From Yuma Ozaki.

I'm Yuma Ozaki, 34 year-old, single, and working at one of the biggest firm in Tokyo.

Recently, I got a question from my little cousin, Shioppy who became interested in work-life balance through her university classes. That is "Do you support the quota system?".

Initially, I was confused because I have never thought that women can also be promoted as much as men, since gender gap here in Japan is huge. But I wanted Shioppy to learn deeply more on women empowerment, I answered, "Yes, of course I do." 

But, Did I really care and support the Idea at that point?---I feel sorry to Shioppy, but to be honest, I was a con to the quota system.

As I mentioned, I work at the big company so there are many rivals who seek their chance to be promoted and I am the one of them. I have no girlfriend nor wife so if I want to get them, I need to have plenty income. So, to get a girlfriend, I have to be promoted. And of course man with a low status at a company is seen as a loser in Japanese society, so I have to work hard to avoid that situation.

However, after thinking a while, I became to think differently... If women will be promoted more and more, my pressure for promotion might ease..???

I'm not sure yet whether I support the quota system or not, but I hope the society will be more flexible and comfortable for both men and women to live with.

Written by Shioppy

30 questions from Manu and Shioppy

These are 30 questions from Manu and Shioppy related to gender and employment / work-life balance.

We will be answering these questions on a weekly basis, so stay tuned for updates.

1. What is the ratio of men and women in workplace?
2. What percentage of women are employed?
3. What is the ratio of female managers in Japanese companies?
4. What are some difficulties women face when job hunting?
5. What are the issues women face in the workplace?
6. Why do women choose to work?
7. Why do men choose not to work?
8. What is "quota system"?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of quota system?
10. Does the quota system give disadvantage to men?
11. Do Japanese people support the quota system?
12. Do you know any company that has introduces quota system?
13. Is the quota system legalized in Japan? And what is the situation in other countries?
14. What qualities does the country must have in order for the quota system to work?
15. How many countries in the OECD have not introduced the quota system yet?
16. What do you think is needed to introduce the quota system in Japan?
17. What is work life balance?
18. What are the advantages and disadvantages of work life balance?
19. Which countries have the best work life balance?
20. What qualities does the countries with good work life balance have?
21. How did the idea of work life balance change over the years?
22. Did remote work contribute to better work life balance situations?
23. What are the advantages and disadvantages of remote work?
24. Why do some women feel negatively about remote work?
25. What is the global average overtime?
26. What are the benefits for a company to encourage work-life balance?
27. Do you know of any companies that have initiatives to achieve work life balance?
28. What approach to work life balance would you like to take?
29. What does it mean for women to balance their life and work?
30. What do you think is necessary to create a society where women can work comfortably?

*questions were edited on June 13, 2024  

Introduction

Hello, we are Shioppy and Manu.

We are Japanese university students studying intercultural communication.

Our blog will introduce topics related to feminism, women's employment, how work-life balance effects women, and the quota system.

The idea for our blog initially started from separate ideas, "quota system" and "work-life balance". But as we made progress on our research we realized that our topics had similarities in a way that they both touched on the how it effects women differently from men, and how women's experiences are not seen as default.

We are looking into different perspective on employment and work environment/style, so that we can better understand different circumstances.

We think that women's contribution to society and the issues that women face are deserving of much greater attention, so we hope to play a role in increasing awareness on these issues.