I am a Japanese. I had have English lessons from Filipina teachers in Cebu City. I talked about sexism in Japan with a teacher on a discussion question in a lesson. I answered that women and men are equal in Japan. The answer came from my experience.
I myself have not ever seen sexism in Japan, but it is reality that stiff sexism exists in Japan. I realized it from a research by Akira Kawaguchi and Chizuko Ueno.
I will have English lessons in Cebu City again. I write this essay to be a material for the lessons in the future.
The research revealed that some (almost?) Japanese companies have got profit from sexism. The employment system discriminating against women allows the companies to employ women as temporally staff on low wages, even if the women has excellent skills. The discrimination against women is a rational attitude for companies which pursue profit.
However, this unfair employment system prevents the companies employing productive women, because excellent women can leave a sexism workplace for better one. And it makes the companies' productivity lower in long term. That sort of unfair companies will be defeated and withdraw from the market, especially the global competitive market.
Some people claim that there is no sexism in Japan. I suppose they have not ever seen sexism in Japan like me.
My mother died when I was 4 years old. I had been raised by my father. I have not ever seen sexism in home.
I had worked as an engineer for several companies. I saw a skilled female engineer was promoted, but I have not ever seen something that looks like a glass ceiling. An engineer is required her or his skill rather than gender. And I am so impatience that I quit my jobs too quickly to see a glass ceiling. Of course, female and male engeneers got the same wages for the same jobs.
I suppose that some people claiming that there is no sexism in Japan have experiences similar to mine.
Sexism has various aspects. The research sheds light on an aspect of sexism. We Japanese need to overcome sexism.
参考文献
上野千鶴子 ネオリベと女性差別が少子化を生み出した 文藝春秋オピニオン 2013年の論点100
上野千鶴子 比較ジェンダー・レジーム論の構想 ジェンダー社会科学の可能性 第1巻
私は川口章さんの「ジェンダー経済格差」を読んでません。上野さんが言及してるのを読んだだけです。
