The changing position of Japanese women

In this article, Sumiko Iwao, Chair of the Japanese government's Council for Gender Equality and Professor at the Musashi Institute of Technology, Tokyo, surveys the current status of change among Japanese women and discusses the measures that need to be taken in order to achieve a gender‐neutral society. For Japan today, says Iwao, the task is to form a society where men and women can lead enjoyable lives in which there is a balance between the demands of home and work. In order for this to happen, there is an urgent need to build a gender‐neutral society to enable men and women to help each other in managing their housework, raising children, and having careers. Creating such a society promises an environment where all people, regardless of gender, can lead richer lives.