Joining the Long Line to Achieve Gender Equality: On the 40th Anniversary of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law
In 1985, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, which prohibited discrimination against women in the workplace, was enacted. This year marks the 40th anniversary of its enactment, and mass media outlets are organizing related programming. The title of this column, "Joining the Long Line to Achieve Gender Equality," is introduced in the NHK Special "
The Unfinished Baton" as one of the phrases left behind by Ryoko Akamatsu. Ms. Akamatsu was a central figure in the enactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. She wrote down this line as words that encouraged her while she faced various difficulties.
Joining the Long Line to Achieve Gender Equality
...But, how long are we expected to stay in this line? In my work as a business coach, I sometimes feel an emotion akin to impatience. I entered the workforce in the spring of 1980, five years before the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted. "Women usually enter the home once they get married, right?" "For men, the retirement age is 50, and for women, it's 30. Well, you'd better catch a husband by the time you're 25 or so."
That was the era.
Around my fifth year in the workforce... "You need to start working hard soon, too... Like a Christmas cake, you won't sell after you turn 25, but you'll be fine if you don't aim too high." I was lectured like that, without a single millimeter of malice, not just once or twice. It was at that moment that the Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted. I thought to myself:
Gender equality what-now? Do I have to work as hard as a man? I can't play golf or mahjong like Mr. So-and-so or Ms. Such-and-such, and there's that commercial asking, 'Can you fight for 24 hours?' but that's impossible for me. Honestly, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law is a nuisance. The world isn't going to change anyway...
At that time, I never imagined that I would end up working at that company for 43 and a half years, serving as a manager, executive officer, and president of a group company, and subsequently working as a business coach to support the "true" success of working women. Besides, with a brain imprinted with the idea of a "retirement age of 30," it was impossible to even imagine myself working beyond that point.
Has the "long line" become any shorter in these 40 years?
Well, time has passed, and it is now 2025. This year, the "Corporate Future Project: Sendai Female Leader Training Program" began in late May, with 23 participants. This is my 11th year involved in this program for cultivating female managers. I am in charge of the sessions on "vision building" during the first and final meetings of the six-month program. I also participate as a 1-on-1 coach for the participants. How much of a difference in awareness is there between this year's participants, the 11th cohort, and the 1st cohort? First, let me warp back to the old days. In my active years, the business world was like a jungle; there was a fear akin to not knowing when or where a wild beast might jump out. There was a fear that a poisonous snake or crocodile might attack from overhead or from within a swamp if I let my guard down. I also had the experience of scouring business books in search of survival techniques.
How about now? The answers to the question, "What kind of anxiety or confusion do you feel about becoming a manager?" are not that different. There are still quite a few people who are anxious, saying, "Why would someone like me become a manager?" or "I'm at a loss because I've become the first female manager..." On the other hand, I also feel that more people think, "The number of female managers in the company has increased, so I suppose I'll become a section manager eventually." At the very least, the promotion of women is no longer a rare occurrence in society in general, and awareness regarding harassment has increased. While the 1st cohort had to grope in the dark and struggle with all their might, for the 11th cohort, there are aspects where they are starting from a place where things are already taken for granted and basic rules are in place. The world is changing, albeit slowly. I feel it is necessary to properly accept those changes and share what has changed and what has not.
Societal Awareness and Mass Media
By the way, I believe the role played by mass media in changing societal awareness is very significant. The existence of media that continues to broadcast to the masses is important, especially for reforming the awareness of the majority—composed of middle-aged and older men—and for correcting the unconscious bias held by women themselves.
In May, I attended the kickoff event of the Japan Women Journalists and Communicators Association as an observer. I encountered the candid voices of women working as reporters for newspapers and television, and the thoughts they carry. Among them were many stories identical to what I felt when I was involved in television program production. It hasn't changed at all! Has the era not progressed? Should senior women, including myself, have said "No!" more often? I bowed my head in my heart many times, apologizing for my lack of strength.
Diversity in the Newsroom!
I would like you to know what the Japan Women Journalists and Communicators Association aims for, so I have quoted it below.
Our Mission: In major Japanese media, men occupy the majority of decision-making positions that send out news. Gender bias influences value judgments in news. Has the world that many women see and share—for example, the daily life of being exposed to sexual violence, or the structural flaws of a sexist society—been neglected? Through decision-making by middle-aged and older Japanese men who are the majority, have we become "insensitive" to the problems faced by minorities? We have had such a sense of the problem. What we aim for is "Diversity in the Newsroom." Ensuring gender balance in media decision-making leads to delivering news that can meet the needs of a society composed of diverse people and fulfilling the mission of reporting. Furthermore, it leads to accelerating the changes in Japanese society, which lags behind the world in gender equality, and to making Japanese democracy and the Japanese economy flexible and strong.
In mass media, which plays an important role in changing the values of society, I sincerely hope that the number of people with various backgrounds and values will increase among those who have the "decision-making power" to determine what to cover and how to convey it.
Gender Gap Index and the Revised Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace
On June 12, the Gender Gap Index was announced. Japan is still in a pathetic state. The day before, the
Revised Act on Promotion of Women's Participation and Advancement in the Workplace was promulgated. From April next year, companies with 101 or more employees will be required to disclose the wage gap between men and women and the ratio of women in management positions. Will this speed things up a little? I hope the time spent waiting in line will be shortened even a little.
If companies are bound by law and recklessly push for the promotion of women (so-called tokenism), the resulting strain will spread to workers and their families, regardless of gender.
Instead of just matching numbers, let us share the vector toward our destination. It is not just about the success of women, but about enabling young, veteran, and mid-career workers—regardless of gender—to fully realize their potential, which is the key to reviving the stagnant Japanese economy. Improving the environment and building a foundation of dialogue are what is required to achieve this.
The First Generation: My 'Working' Life—40 Years Since the Enactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law
At this juncture, the newspaper in the city where I live put together a special feature interviewing the first generation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. It is described as a 'special feature that considers an employment environment where everyone can work in their own way through their journeys.' Some responded to the interviews using their real names and faces, while others spoke of their experiences anonymously; the forms were varied, but I suspect that all of them agreed to be interviewed with a certain sense of mission. I express my heartfelt respect to them, and I also want to convey my gratitude to the reporters and everyone involved who received their thoughts and conveyed them in the form of articles.
After all, it won't change, if the people involved stay silent... right?
In my twenties, I used to think, 'The world won't change anyway.'
Now that I am well past my mid-sixties, I truly think this:
In a sense, that is correct.
At the same time, I also think, 'But, that's not necessarily true either.'
No matter how many laws are created, that alone will not change things.
If the people involved remain silent, the status quo will never change.
People who do not raise their voices tend to be treated as if they do not exist.
That is why...
You don't have to have a loud voice.
Just tilting your head in doubt is enough.
It is fine to take breaks.
People who are suffering disadvantages can express their discomfort in ways they can manage, and create loose connections with those who empathize. If we can open those connections to the public andincrease our allies from within the majority, the 'door to the future' will open.
By aiming for a world where we can be happy together, rather than confronting each other, we can change the world. After all, there should be no one who does not want to be happy.
Toward a society where everyone can work in their own way, support each other through work, and live with a sense of fulfillment. On the 40th anniversary of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, this is my wish.