I was astonished to learn that in 2018, three of the top medical schools in Japan were caught discriminating against women by using different passing marks for men and women. This discrimination can be seen in many areas of Japanese society, especially the workplace. The pressure to have children, the seniority system, and the lifelong employment system all make it harder for women. It is difficult to stay in work after taking a break to have children when your position only depends on years in the company and it's very hard to change jobs. Most women in Japan will quit their job and maybe even get a part-time job when their children are in school. In fact, only a quarter of women in Japan return to work as full-time employees.
I learned about the gender inequality between men and women in the workplace, especially in rural areas like Akita where the disparity is bigger because there is more pressure to uphold tradition.
In Japan, there is this idea of uchi (inside) and soto (outside). While this applies to many parts of life, in this case I am focusing on women's roles in and out of the house. Much of this comes from Confucianism, which plays a huge part in the mentality of Japan and gender roles even today.
