Noriko Hitotsumatsu, a bilingual research pharmacologist with a master¡¯s from Cambridge University, considers herself lucky to have a part-time job in a Tokyo pharmacy after shelving her career to raise two daughters in one of the world¡¯s most work-oriented countries.
¡°I was determined to raise my children myself when they were small,¡± she said. ¡°When they were older, I kept to part-time work so I could coach them through school entrance exams, while my husband worked around the clock,¡± she added. ¡°I¡¯d like to go back to full-time work someday, but I don¡¯t think I can return to research after such a long period away.¡±
Japanese professionals like Hitotsumatsu, 38, face a raft of obstacles in returning to work after having a child, from a lack of affordable household services to tax rules that discourage women from full-time employment. Women abandoning work altogether contributed to Japan being ranked 90th out of 148 in female workplace participation in the World Economic Forum¡¯s 2013-2014 Global Competitiveness Report, more than 50 places behind China.
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