[Nyororin]

I never take these things seriously as they don`t take cultural norms into account at all. They usually just look at the figures - if there are fewer women than men working, it`s considered gender inequality... Regardless of whether those women WANT to be working. The assumption is that they must, therefore if they are not they`re being oppressed (which couldn`t be farther from the truth for all the non-working women I know here.)

Japan obviously isn`t perfect, but a determined woman really wouldn`t have too much trouble reaching a high position. The thing is, a lot (dare I say most?) women here don`t want that responsibility. They want to be able to quit on a whim when they get married or have children.

A funny note - In Japan, the fact that fewer women are currently working is considered a sign that the economy is recovering. Why? Because more families can afford to have the mother stay at home. In most cases, working mothers are working out of necessity - not choice. When given a choice (in the case that the husband is making enough to support the household alone) most women will choose to stay at home.