Japan ranks in the 116th position of 146 nations in terms of the gender gap index, which is the lowest of the G7 countries. Japan remains far behind from the places of Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China as well as countries in the Southeast Asian region. The fact is disgraceful. What are the causes?
DISHONORABLE POSITION OF 116TH IN THE WORLD
Gender refers to ‘characteristics of men, women, boys and girls constructed historically, socially and culturally’, being different from the biological classification of male and female’.
The gender gap index is a numerical guide that indicates equality between men and women, which has been announced by the World Economic Forum since the year 2006 in the fields of economy, politics, education and healthcare.
EU has Women’s Charter
Japan positions high in terms of education and health services for women, but in the economic and political sectors its status is close to the lowest. As for the number of parliamentary members, the ratio of women is surprisingly low, and in the business communities a very small number of females have positions of leadership. Though these points have long been showed up, the index in the latter field has declined, compared with those of the previous years.
Main factors lie in the difference of wages between male and female workers and the far more intensive impacts of the pandemic on employment of female workers: they have been discharged or driven out of workplaces.
Iceland and the three Nordic countries have been winning the top-ten rankings annually in the gender index.
The EU adopted the Women’s Charter in 2016 which provides:
Equality in employment opportunity,
An identical wage for an identical work,
Women have the same level of potential as men in terms of decision-making,
Exclusion of violence against women and
Promotion of gender equality through international organizations as well as diplomatic channels.
The EU works now strategically to construct a world without gender inequalities, which are consequences of socially formulated discrimination.
Facts here in Japan are contrary
As is seen in the text for constitutional amendment drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), reactionary trends are found, in which women’s independence is barred or women are regarded as a component of a family. The LDP opposes the proposal to implement an optional system of separate surnames for married couple, saying that it will ‘destroy a family’. The party works adversely to the world’s trend, as is seen in altering the naming from the Agency on Children’s Affairs to the Agency on Children and Families.
The candidate of the New Socialist Party of the last Upper House election in July, Okazaki Saiko, campaigned with an appeal for ‘a society in which a woman solely can live independently’. She fought with her best efforts.
Her pledges were:
To implement the dual surname system for the married,
To eliminate wage gaps between male and female workers,
To convert the taxation and social institutions to a basis of individuals from the current family basis, and
Explicit prohibition of domestic violence, sexual violence and harassment as they constitute crimes, and creation of social schemes to save the victims.
They are urgently needed policies.
If a society is gender equal, for both men and women, and for everyone, we can live in safely and comfortably. The New Socialist Party is determined to continue working for a gender-equal society by arranging social institutions and legal frameworks.
ジェンダーとは、生物学的な性別(SEX)と区別された。「歴史的、社会的、文化的に形成された性別」を意味する。
ジェンダーギャップ指数は、世界経済フォーラムが2006年から発表している経済、政治、教育、健康の４つの分野の男女平等の度合いを数値化したものだ。
EUは「女性憲章」
日本は教育、健康で高い水準にあるが、政治、経済で最下位に近い。国会議員の男女の比率、女性管理職の少なさはこれまでも指摘されてきたが、経済分野では前年より指数が低下した。
その大きな要因は、男女の賃金格差の拡大、コロナ禍で女性の解雇や雇い止めが集中したことが原因である。
ジェンダー指数上位には、アイスランドや北欧3国などが例年のようにトップ１０に入っている。
EUでは2016年に女性憲章を採択、①雇用機会の均等、②同一労働同一賃金、③意思決定において女性は男性と同等のレベルの力を持つ、④女性に対する暴力の排除、⑤対外関係や国際機関を通じて男女平等を推進するとしている。
EUでは現在、ジェンダーという社会的に作られた性に不平等が起きることのない世界を目指した戦略的行動が起こされている。
世界の流れに逆行
日本の現実は、自民党の改憲草案にみられるように、女性の自立を認めず、家族主義に戻そうとする反動的な動きがある。選択的夫婦別姓に「家族をこわす」などと反対し、「子ども庁」を「子ども家庭庁」の名称にするなど、世界の流れに逆行している。
おかざき彩子さんは参議院選で、「女・シングルそれでも生きていける社会」の実現を真正面に掲げて力一杯闘った。
彼女が「ジェンダー平等」実現のために掲げた、①選択的夫婦別姓、②男女の賃金格差をなくす、③税や社会制度を家族単位から個人単位に、④DV、性暴力、ハラスメントは犯罪であり、明確に禁止し、被害者を支える制度の実現など、緊急性のある政策だ。
ジェンダー平等社会は、女性にとっても男性にとっても、みんなが生きやすく安心して暮らせる社会になる。新社会党は、ジェンダー平等社会実現に向けて引き続き社会制度と法整備のために全力で取り組む決意だ。
英訳版↓
No. 1271 Gender Equality in Japan
Japan ranks in the 116th position of 146 nations in terms of the gender gap index, which is the lowest of the G7 countries. Japan remains far behind from the places of Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China as well as countries in the Southeast Asian region. The fact is disgraceful. What are the causes?
DISHONORABLE POSITION OF 116TH IN THE WORLD
Gender refers to ‘characteristics of men, women, boys and girls constructed historically, socially and culturally’, being different from the biological classification of male and female’.
The gender gap index is a numerical guide that indicates equality between men and women, which has been announced by the World Economic Forum since the year 2006 in the fields of economy, politics, education and healthcare.
EU has Women’s Charter
Japan positions high in terms of education and health services for women, but in the economic and political sectors its status is close to the lowest. As for the number of parliamentary members, the ratio of women is surprisingly low, and in the business communities a very small number of females have positions of leadership. Though these points have long been showed up, the index in the latter field has declined, compared with those of the previous years.
Main factors lie in the difference of wages between male and female workers and the far more intensive impacts of the pandemic on employment of female workers: they have been discharged or driven out of workplaces.
Iceland and the three Nordic countries have been winning the top-ten rankings annually in the gender index.
The EU adopted the Women’s Charter in 2016 which provides:
The EU works now strategically to construct a world without gender inequalities, which are consequences of socially formulated discrimination.
Facts here in Japan are contrary
As is seen in the text for constitutional amendment drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), reactionary trends are found, in which women’s independence is barred or women are regarded as a component of a family. The LDP opposes the proposal to implement an optional system of separate surnames for married couple, saying that it will ‘destroy a family’. The party works adversely to the world’s trend, as is seen in altering the naming from the Agency on Children’s Affairs to the Agency on Children and Families.
The candidate of the New Socialist Party of the last Upper House election in July, Okazaki Saiko, campaigned with an appeal for ‘a society in which a woman solely can live independently’. She fought with her best efforts.
Her pledges were:
They are urgently needed policies.
If a society is gender equal, for both men and women, and for everyone, we can live in safely and comfortably. The New Socialist Party is determined to continue working for a gender-equal society by arranging social institutions and legal frameworks.
August 17, 2022