Figure A: WEF Gender Gap Index Report 2024
The employment rate of women has risen from 2013 to 2023, increasing from 47.6 percent to 53.6 percent. 12 Yet a deeper question remains: What kind of roles are women afforded in these jobs, and do they allow women the leadership and influence needed to make meaningful change? Japan currently ranks 27th out of 29 developed countries in The Economist’s “glass-ceiling index,” which assesses workplace quality and advancement potential for women—a sign that many jobs offer limited pathways for career growth and impact. 13 At the same time, Professor Yuki Honda at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Education points out that the published gender gap index in education does not account for disparities by academic field. As a result, the index can create the impression that gender equality has been achieved in Japan. However, Honda highlights that the proportion of women in science and engineering remains notably small compared to fields like nursing and the humanities. 14 The chart below (Figure B) shows the percentages of women undergraduate students, compared to men, across various university departments in Japan. Women are least represented in science and engineering fields, while their highest representation is in nursing and humanities.
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Ten Years in the Making
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