Gender Balance in the Workplace_En_Aug2015

Leadership Series

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Gender Balance In The Workforce-Attracting Female ProfessionalsTo Japan’s WorkplaceA Spring Professional Leadership Study

Spring Professional Leadership Series Gender Balance In The Workforce-Attracting Female Professionals To Japan’s Workplace

0 The Numbers Of Women Who Continue To Work After Childbirth Are Increasing

1

Compared to other advanced nations, Japan lags behind in building a society of equality for women.This survey takes a look at diversity management as a necessity in corporations, and the efforts to empower women in the workforce.

Source : Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office "White Paper on Gender Equality 2013"

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0 Malaysia

Philippines

South Korea

Singapore

Australia

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any

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A

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eden

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Japan Over A

ge 65

Age 60

-64

Age 5

5-59

Age 5

0-5

4

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-49

Age 4

0-4

4

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5-39

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-29

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-24

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-19

Percentages of women among working persons and workers in managerial positions Percentages of working women by age class

%

Source : Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "Actual Working Conditions 　　　　of Working Women 2012," "White Paper on Gender Equality 2013"

■Working persons■Workers in managerial positions

90

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70

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%

2012201 12002

SwedenUSA

Japan

Fig.1 Fig.2

Currently, efforts to increase diversity management in Japanese corporations have become an imperative issue. The word diversity means "variety," and in a business society, to be receptive and actively empower people of different sexes, races and age is what is called diversity management. It is a measure meant to improve the treatment of minorities, and originated in the United States. At the time, the concept strongly implied the protection of human rights, but lately has come to be seen as a vital part of management strategy.

The reasons diversity management has come to be seen as important are the globalisation of businesses and the diversification of consumer needs. As Japan's population continues to shrink due to its declining birth rate, the domestic market is also headed towards reduction. The numbers of Japanese corporations expanding their overseas markets in order to survive are rising, and globalisation cannot be avoided. And in order to maintain competitive advantages in a shrinking domestic market, companies will need to invest in even more value-added products and services. The key to being able to respond to changes and promote innovation is to shed old standard practices and modes of thinking, and to welcome talent diversity.

Within diversity management, the challenge for Japan, especially, is to bring more women into the workforce. The reasons are that, the majority of household purchasing decision-makers are made by women, and that a woman's perspective is necessary. Furthermore, the shortfalls in the

labour force necessitate the leveraging of women in the workforce.

Let us examine how far women have progressed in the workforce. In speaking first from conclusion, Japan lags behind other countries in empowering women in the labour force. For example, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Japan ranked 105th out of 136 countries on the Gender Gap Index. That was a drop from its previous ranking of 101st, and represents its worst showing ever.

As you can see from Fig.1, Japan rates low in the percentage of women among employed persons. Fig.2 illustrates the percentages of working women by age. The percentage of Japanese working women age 30-34 is low, and we know that the majority of women retire in order to give childbirth and raise a family. In recent years the numbers of women who continue to work after childbirth are increasing, and according to a 2012 study, while this "M-shaped" curve has started to become shallower when contrasted to 10 years ago, it still remains steep compared to other advanced nations. When compared to other countries, it is apparent that the tendency to consider childbirth and child-rearing as obstructions to work have not dissipated. The fact that putting one's career on hold will inhibit the advancement of that career is a reasonable ramification, and the reality is that in Japan the number of women who are promoted to management positions are few (Fig.1).


2 What The Nation And Businesses Can Do To Promote The Empowerment Of Women

We will examine the efforts made by the government and businesses to promote the empowerment of women. We will also hear from Showa Women's University President Mariko Bando, who has led efforts to promote policy-making for the active participation of women in organisational institutions.

As we have previously mentioned, in Japan the employment rate of women and percentage of women in managerial positions is low. According to the "Womenomics 3.0" report published by Goldman Sachs, if the employment rate of capable women were raised to the level of the men's rate, Japan's working population would expand by 8,200,000, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was calculated to grow by 15%.

After receiving criticism domestically and from abroad that "the key to Japan's economic recovery was the empowering of women," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared that "enhancing opportunities for women to work and to be active in society is no longer a matter of choice for Japan," and that "Abenomics will not succeed without Womenomics." Making the empowerment of women a pillar of his policies, he laid

down a plan to emerge from nearly 20 years of recession. Specifically, he cites measures such as improved support for child care by "eliminating childcare waiting lists within 5 years," a request to promote childcare leave up to 3 years, and a request for "all listed companies to appoint one female as an executive officer." Furthermore, by expanding the numbers of Hello Work programmes, which serve as the contact points for child-rearing women seeking work, he aims to strengthen support for re-employment efforts.

Since 2003, the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office has proposed a target of hoping to "increase the share of women in leadership positions in all fields of society to at least 30% by 2020." In order to achieve this governmental goal, all businesses are encouraged to take "positive action (pro-active means to eliminate gender inequality)."

Since the 1970s, I have been involved in policy-making for the empowerment of women in organisational institutions. In the ensuing 40 years, has the infrastructure to allow women to thrive in the workplace come into place? The conclusion is that in terms of a "working life balance," where work, household chores and child-rearing are capably managed, the situation is substantially improved. However, I believe that the reality is that providing "equal opportunity" and "diversity" so that women are empowered to exhibit their talents on an equal playing field with men, is still of secondary importance.

So why still can't women thrive in Japan? I believe the biggest reason is that the majority of Japanese businesses still tend to trust and value men who work for longer periods. From now on however, unless such diverse talent such as women and foreign nationals are appointed to higher positions, the incorporation of a diversity of opinions will not occur, and conversion to a highly value-added business model will not be possible.

And this is why I say to business leaders that it is necessary to have the "3 'Ks.'" The first "K" is "Kitai (Hope)." It is easy to fixate on the notion that "this job is too hard for women," but we want them to have more expectations f o r w o m e n . T h e s e c o n d " K " i s " K i k a i (Opportunities)." It is necessary to provide equal opportunity to women. The third "K" is "Kitaeru (Training)." Unless women are trained just like men, they will not improve.

For example, one woman could be promoted to an important position, but if she cannot perform, and the conclusion is "we knew a woman couldn't do it," then that closes the door for all women. So I suggest that when appointing a woman, that more than 3 be selected as candidates. If women find it possible to envision a career path to management, younger women can recognise that "expectations are being made of us" and that will raise their motivation.

At the same time, I would like for female employees to "not be misled by shortsighted goals, and to mold their careers with a long term perspective." When your superiors hand

you a difficult assignment, instead of declining it thinking "I can't do this," if this is a field with even small possibilities, then you should take on the challenge. I hope you won't be afraid to take on the risk of becoming a pioneer.

Businesses "Kitai (Hope)," Give "Kikai (Opportunities)," And "Kitaeru (Training)." For Women To Be Empowered, The 3 "Ks" Are Indispensable.

Interview

After graduating from Tokyo University, I joined the staff of the Prime Minister's office in 1969. I joined the Headquarters for the Planning and Promoting of Policies Relating to Women in the Prime Ministers Office in 1975. Studied abroad at Harvard University beginning in 1980. In 1995, I became vice governor of Saitama Prefecture, and in 1998 was appointed consul general of Japan in Brisbane, Australia. After serving as Director General for the Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, I have served in my current position since 2007.

Showa Women's UniversityPresident

Mariko Bando


In this section, we will examine the empowerment of women in the fields of IT and engineering.

3 Empowering Women In The IT And Engineering Fields

When we set our sights on the IT industry, the reality is that compared to foreign countries, Japan has few female technology professionals. This trend is not limited to the IT industry. In Japan there are 123,200 female researchers, which amounts to only 13.8% of all researchers (as of March 2011), a figure that ranks last among advanced nations. According to an Information-technology Promotion Agency study centered around IT related industry groups, titled the "IT Human Resources White Paper 2011," 39.8% of businesses responded that the percentage of women among their IT workforce was "between 10% to less than 20%," 24% reported "between 0.1% to less than 10%," and 6.9% reported "0%," meaning that over 70% of businesses had a female employment rate of less than 20%.

The rate of women in managerial positions in the IT industry is even lower, with 49.2% of businesses reporting "0 female managers." With 28.9% of businesses reporting "between 0.1% to less than 10%," it is apparent that the numbers are extremely low.

According to a study conducted by the afore-mentioned IPA with 300 women from the IT industry, in response to the question, "what event would most likely lead to resignation from your current job?" 27.6% replied "job-related exhaustion," 24.5% replied "to give birth to my first-born," 20.4% replied "marriage," and 10.2% replied "the birth of my second-born." Such numbers illustrate the stark realities of the obstacles against women to continue working, the problems of balancing work and family and working long hours. Furthermore, in response to the question, "what do you think would be necessary for you to be able to go back to work?" the most popular answer (66.3%) was for "businesses to enact institutional reform."

From these results, it seems that if IT businesses can improve institutional systems to support a balanced work life and indicate that they understand the need to implement such measures, then the female employment rate should rise. As it stands, in response to the question of whether "women make an impact in the IT industry compared to other industries," over half replied that the statement was "applicable." Recently, enacting positive action towards female technology professionals has come to be regarded with more importance, and the number of IT businesses promoting diversity measures has been increasing.

Spring Professional Japan Ltd. 　Tel : +81-3-5439-5833　Fax : +81-3-5439-5838　Email : [email protected]　www.springjapan.com

4

What do female technology professionals need to form their career paths?Also, we will hear from Hideko Kunii, a pioneer in the field of information processing, and Advisor to the President at the Shibaura Institute of Technology.

The Leadership And Career Paths Of Female Technology Professionals

There is demand to acquire high calibre women in the sciences. Governments, businesses and universities are currently focused on acquiring female technology professionals. The Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office has held career events at various regions nationwide for women in the sciences. Businesses are active in their pursuit, with for example KDDI announcing that it was aiming for a female employment rate of 20% in newly graduated technology hires. Hitachi, Kyocera, and Honda Motor Company are putting efforts into hiring women through seminars for female science majors. Universities are also busy trying to acquire students, with examples such as Tokyo University holding events for encouraging junior high and high school girls to develop interest in the sciences.

The background to this trend lies in the overwhelming

low number of women with technical expertise. According to a university source, there is a shortage of students in mechanical and electronic engineering, and both schools have a female population of about 5%. At this rate, the technological development scene will continue to be a "male-dominated society," and it will be difficult to diversify ways of thinking. And businesses that wish to hire female tech professionals will be forced to choose from a small population, with few available choices.

While the competition for women in the sciences intensifies, many businesses are concentrating efforts on the retention of female technology professionals. Not only are there measures for improving systems to support a balanced working life, initiatives to make earlier selections of female leaders are increasing.

　Because the overall numbers of female tech professionals and researchers is small, strengthening networks and supporting one another will be useful in sustaining careers and raising awareness for the next generation. As far as network organizations for female technology professionals go, the "Japan Women Engineers Forum(JWEF)" and the "Women Consulting Engineers Society of Japan" have long traditions, and boast a large number of members. Both organizations also operate the "International

Network of Women Engineers and Scientists." Furthermore, the "IEEE JC WIE," the Japanese branch of the world's largest scientific society for the electrical and electronic fields, the IEEE, which holds events such as "Women in Engineering," should also be noted.　Lately, meetings of voluntar y groups of IT researchers in "women's clubs" has become prevalent, so it seems that solidarity will eventually become a keyword for female technology professionals.

Japan Women Engineers Forum(JWEF) www.jwef.jp/

Women Consulting Engineers Society of Japan www.pej-lady.org/

International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists www.inwes-japan.org/

Column A Network For Female Technology Professionals To Gather Information

Considering What Measures To Take Now, With Target Values In Mind.Independent Efforts Undertaken By Businesses Are Absolutely Essential.

For female technology professionals to thrive, I believe that individual businesses need to make independent efforts towards "positive action," such as the setting of target values for female managerial hire rates. However, the reality is that such a suggestion would draw much protest from people who would claim that companies "inflate their scores by promoting incompetent women." But couldn't it be said that in terms of promoting people, hasn't it been men who have historically "inflated scores" throughout society? If we have target values, then we can plan backwards from there and think about what steps need to be taken now.

In the IT sector, it is unfortunate that becoming a busy project manager comes at a point in time when balancing work with raising children becomes difficult, and many women

end up giving up their careers. In order to prevent this sort of situation, efforts are being made in the U.S. to workshare management duties. Two leaders will split up a single role to share duties and information in short time slots, for example a "morning leader" and an "afternoon leader." While salary will in this case be halved, there is the advantage of being able to sustain each person's skills and career.

Also, for female tech professionals to be able to continue working in an IT industry that is always dramatically changing, it is important that they do not neglect improving their skills even while on childcare leave, making sure to acquire information, and exchanging ideas with tech professionals from other companies. Diverse thinking is not possible by interchanging only with colleagues brought up in the same

culture. I hope that female technology professionals will continue to work and not lose sight of these ambitions.

After graduating Ochanomizu University Department of Science, earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. After serving as General Manager of Software Research & Development of Ricoh from 1982 to 2008, she became Chairperson of Ricoh IT Solutions. She also serves as a member of the Liaison Conference for the Promotion of Gender Equality.

Shibaura Institute of TechnologyAdvisor to the PresidentDirector,

Office for the Promotion of Gender EqualityGraduate School of Engineering Management

Graduate School Professor

Hideko Kunii

Interview

Spring Professional Japan Ltd. 　Tel : +81-3-5439-5833　Fax : +81-3-5439-5838　Email : [email protected]　www.springjapan.com

5 Thriving Female Technology Professionals

Although their numbers are few, female technology professionals who thrive while raising children do exist.What is needed to increase their numbers, and what can the nation and its businesses do?

In the fields of IT and engineering, it can be said that the overwhelmingly low number of women is the biggest of issues. As we have said earlier, businesses have become pro-active in hiring women in sciences, but it is in the preliminary stages of choosing a study at university, that there are still very few women who select science. The afore-mentioned Professor Hideko Kunii of the Shibaura Institute of Technology points out the importance of early education in this manner. "In Japan, the ideology of the division of labor between men and women, that men should work and women tend to the family, is still deep-rooted. Isn't it necessary to instill education to change this sort of thinking? I think it may be recommended to perhaps encourage young children to play with toys that will train them to think about physics and chemistry." It's not just education, there are things that businesses can do. They can hold events that communicate the appeal of technical vocations to female junior high and high school students. It ought to be their obligation as a form of contribution to society to make such pro-active efforts.

Having hired women in technical jobs, only to lose them when they resign due to childbirth or childcare would be a shame. In

order for Japan to make it's M-shaped curve more shallower, it needs to begin expanding its institutional systems by adding part-time working arrangements and childcare leave, and it is imperative that it creates a climate conducive to putting those measures into practice. In order for that to happen it may require the heads of businesses to take responsibility and show that they intend to get involved in empowering women. And hereafter, there could be work-at-home arrangements, or worksharing management positions, or perhaps a progression to "flexible working," whereby women who leave a company to raise their families can return to the workplace. We have hopes for the future.

In actuality, the "shortage of women in IT and engineering" is also a problem in the U.S. Since the beginning of 2000 women have been declining in the computing industry, and there is data reporting that less than 10% of women are promoted to executive positions. Even in America, conclusions have been reached that the way to stop the drain of high caliber women is to sanction "flexible working." And here in Japan, we also await that discussion.

Ever since joining this company, I have been involved in research and development of "Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells," which have been called the next generation solar cells, and the business of searching for research and developmental themes which will define future generations. In thoroughly investigating the principles of dye-sensitization in order to raise the efficiency of these cells, I achieved the highest efficiency rate in the world, and received an intra-office MVP award.

Just as my research was beginning to culminate, I found myself with a child, but since we handled dangerous agents in chemical testing, I was unable to enter the laboratory while pregnant. It was the support of my colleagues at the lab that helped me pull through this period. I had already established my theories for the compound ratio of solutions, so I had my colleagues take up the continuation of my experiments. During my pregnancy I

concentrated on writing my research papers, and after giving birth I received publication in an authoritative science journal. With my baby and research paper, I felt as if I had simultaneously given birth to two monumental works, and it made me very happy.

Since I wanted to be present when we achieved the world's highest efficiency rate, I returned to the workplace a mere 4 months after giving birth. One day, a very important day, I received a call from the nursery school that my child was running a fever. Thanks to my husband, who worked at the same company as myself and went instead to pick up our child, I was able to share with my colleagues the big moment that we achieved our lab results. I think I was able to balance work and raising a child only because of the help of my husband and colleagues. And I also am deeply thankful towards my company and my superiors, who recognise the contributions of each and every

employee, and allowed me the responsibility of important work from such an early age.

After majoring in the Department of Science, Physical Chemistry, and completing her Master's course, joined Sony in 2002. Worked on the research and development of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells at the Advanced Materials Laboratories. Received recognition for the results of her basic research, and was awarded the intra-office award of "Sony MVP2010."

Sony Corporation

Advanced Materials Laboratories

Novel Functional Materials Research Laboratory

Section Chief

Reiko Ogura

More Than Just A Company's Institutional Systems, It Takes The Presence Of Our Superiors And Colleagues To Support A Balanced Life While Child-Rearing.

Case Study

The Prospects For Empowering Women In The IT And Engineering Fields

The Future


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Gender Balance in the Workplace_En_Aug2015