by Michelle Lalonde

Canadian University Press Two Japanese

government officials sit in a very expensive restaurant in downtown Tokyo discussing Japanese customs with a for- eign woman. They insist that women have real power in Japanese society: their wives have free reign in the home — they have absolute free- dom to raise the children and spend their husbands’ pay cheques as they wish. Throughout the meal, two Japanese waitresses, in traditional costume, move silently in and out bring- ing the ornate boxes of sushi, bowls of soup, cups of hot sake. Between courses, the women kneel on the tatami, one between the two the other beside the foreign woman,

Japanese men,

They lean close and watch the faces of the guests, in case they should make any gesture in want of something. The guests, politely, ignore them.

LApes—

IF | Were WILLING TO PAY. VING | Vou HAVE

‘

While Canadian women blithely claim that the age of equality has arrived and feminism is passe, Japanese women live an _ anomaly. They operate in a society more advanced than any in the western world in every aspect but one: women’s rights.

A first-hand look at the status of women in Japan is a slap in the face to a North American woman. One is forced to recognize not only where we would be without

Page 10

JAPANESE WOMEN FACE DISCRIMINATION

the women’s movement, but also how deeply entrenched sexist attitudes can be, and how far we still have to go.

“Y know that Japan has been a man’s world for 3,000 years but it is very hard to be a woman here. It is hard for women to get good jobs. Sometimes post-secondary education for women is a disadvantage for them. This country is okay for women if their goal is to get married but otherwise if you want to think about your career it’s very difficult.”

Misako Nishio is a free- lance interpreter. She works for a private agency which is often commissioned by the Japanese government to pro- vide guides for foreign guests and journalists.

“T prefer to work free- lance very stressful for girls in the work-

because it is

place. You are paid the same and you can do the same work as the men but at 3 pm you have to make tea and af- ter work you have to do the dishes. I don’t mind making

tea because I like to be nice but I don’t like that it is just because you are a girl that you must do that.”

Women in the workforce outnumber those at home by over 200,000 (0.4 per cent), and that number is growing

rapidly. The Equal Opportu- nity Law passed in 1985 for- bids discrimination against women in the workplace, but societal mores continue to promote discrimination on the basis of sex.

_ fight.

Even as a_ freelancer, Nishio cites examples of bla- tant sexual harassment that go unchecked because of a lack of awareness about sex- ism in Japanese society. But the virtual non-existence of formal harassment grievance procedures is only part of the problem. x

The subject of sexism and harassment of women in the workplace elicits nervous laughter even from govern- ment employees.

Akiko Yamakawa, a guid- ance officer for the Min- istry of Labour says that the- oretically, a female worker could take legal action if she is harassed or discriminated against on the job.

“Legally, she could do it (sue), but Japanese women are more likely to leave the job. They don’t put up a We are not a liti- gious society and according to Japanese social behaviour you are better advised to re- tire — leaving for that reason is quite legitimate,” says Ya- makawa.

She added that she be- lieves workplace harassment — pressure for sexual favours, sexist comments, etc. -— is uncommon in Japan.

Graphic/ Arthur

“At any rate, any male worker with common sense would know that kind of be- haviour would constitute a misdemeanor. He would be fired, or he would not be pro-

moted. Employers do not

want to lose young female . workers — they are hard to

get.”

Yamakawa said she hears very little about severe sex- ual harassment, but she says many women object to being expected to serve their male co- workers.

poor. In 1984, the aver. age annual salary of Japanese women was 51.8 per cent of that of male workers,

‘while their North American

counterparts make around 68 per cent of men’s’ salaries. Women are usually employed in smaller companies which pay less, and men’s salaries are supplemented with al- lowances (for which women are not eligible) for depen- dents and housing.

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour in 1984 showed that most com- panies set different require- ments for men and women when recruiting new employ- ees. And though the passage of the Equal Opportunity Law made this kind of dis- crimination illegal, the law has been poorly enforced, es- pecially in small companies.

The Labour Standards Law was also revised at that time and discrimnatory provisions which had been designed orginally to pro- tect women workers, were removed. Until recently, women were forbidden from working more than two hours of overtime per day and were restricted to a maximum of six hours overtime weekly. Late night work, between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am, was also prohibited for women before the law was revised.

Larger. companies _ re- spect the anti-discrimination law on the surface, but systemic discrimination still plagues Japanese _ business and industry.

Hisayo Hagiwara works in the public relations de- partment of Nissan Motor

“Serving tea and other little tasks like that are usually expected of women. Some suy it is hurting the dignity of the women but others say if they want (to work) it’s not such a sacrifice to go along with it.”

And though numbers of

women in the Japanese work-

force are ever increasing, wages and working con- ditions are still relatively

Company Ltd. She is 29 years old, and the eldest woman in her department. She says 80 per cent of her female co-workers are single and not interested in pursu-

‘ing their careers after mar

riage.

“They call me a femi- nist here because when wé start a project I begin by ask- ing why. The other work ers are very submissive, just

Thursday March 10th 19882

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