10. Does the quota system give disadvantage to men?
The quota system is a beneficial way to improve women’s work-life balance, there might be some disadvantages towards men. Here are some examples that MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT mentioned.
1. "Reverse discrimination" makes things worse
The case of Ricci vs DeStefano in the USA has become famous in this respect. Firefighter Frank Ricci made a supreme effort to gain supervisory responsibility, and despite his language problems passed the aptitude test as one of the best. Yet he and 18 other firefighters were denied promotion. The reason given by the employer was that in the test, the people who were the ones who actually should have been favored by affirmative action measures failed – in this case, Americans of African extraction.
2. The privileged are given preference
Members of the preferred group who are already favoured anyway are also those who mostly benefit from a quota system. The American economist Thomas Sowell comes to this conclusion in his empirical investigation Affirmative Action Around the World.
3. Family people will not get a look in
The fact that people with a workload such as this have little time left for family life is obvious. In studies on gender-based quotas, women who master the admirable balancing act between family and a demanding job have particularly good managerial qualities such as a sense of responsibility, solution orientation, empathy and communication skills. However, it is more than debatable whether this particularly desirable target group in management positions would in fact benefit from a women's quota.
But learning from these experiences, we can take a measure to make the quota system a better one.
References:
11. Do Japanese people support the quota system?
"Opinion on whether quota systems for women should be implemented in Japan as of April 2023" which was conducted by STATISTA has a data that show how many Japanese people do support quota system. (The number of respondents were 3,000 and age group were 18-79 years old)
From this graph we can easily assume that most of Japanese have negative opinion towards the quota system and it leads to people disagreement.
Reference:
Statista. (2024, January 9). Attitude towards female quota systems in Japan 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1225710/japan-opinion-quota-systems/
*IDEA, the creator of the statistic is an intergovernmental organization.
12. Do you know any company that has introduces quota system?
Daito Kentaku (大東建託), one of the most famous construction companies in Japan started to introduce the quota system from 2016. In 2021, they post a news that they keep introducing quota system and try to hire more women in management position.
the gray line: average ratio of women employees in Japan
the orange line: ratio of women employees in management position at Daito Kentaku
Photo from https://www.kentaku.co.jp/corporate/pr/info/2021/joseiikusei_1214.html
But as you can see from the graph, they have a chance to improve the situation more since they have already introduced the quota system already unlike the other Japanese companies. I hope they will use enough benefits of the quota system and make more women in management position.
Reference:
建設業界初「クォータ制」を導入した女性育成プログラム始動. (2021, December 14). https://www.kentaku.co.jp/corporate/pr/info/2021/joseiikusei_1214.html
13. Is the quota system legalized in Japan? And what is the situation in other countries?
In Japan, the quota system is not legally enforced. Whereas in other countries, mostly in Europe, quota systems are more widely implemented and legally enforced.
Among G7 countries, Japan and the United States are the only ones without introducing quota systems for elections. In contrast, countries like France and Norway have successfully implemented such systems, and significantly improving women's situations. For example, Norway mandates that a certain percentage of female executive officers be appointed in businesses, which has influenced companies’ practices.
14. What qualities does the country must have in order for the quota system to work?
By giving examples, I think we can see how quota system will work smoothly.
- Norway: Norway’s successful implementation of gender quotas in corporate society highlights the importance of strong legal frameworks and society’s support for gender equality (RIETI).
- Mexico: Mexico's gender quota system for political candidates has been supported by strong legal frameworks, which leads to significantly increase in female representation in politics (World Population Review).
From these examples, we can say that strong legal framework is essential when introducing quota systems and the support from the society is also preferable.
References:
15. How many countries in the OECD have not introduced the quota system yet?
For now, 17 out of 38 OECD countries have introduced some kinds of gender quota system. These quota systems are made to ensure a minimum level of female representation in political or corporate positions. The countries that have introduced gender quotas are the following countries.
Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
But Japan has not included to the list yet.
References:
Atlas of Electoral Gender quotas. (n.d.). https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/atlas-electoral-gender-quotas
*The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization that supports democracy worldwide. It has more than 10 offices in the world.
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