In recent years, Japan has championed its growing number of working women as an answer to the country¡¯s shrinking population and lackluster economy. But rather than feeling empowered, many are harboring a growing sense of inequity.
¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re being paid fairly,¡± said Sakiko Takasawa. As a care worker for the elderly, she¡¯s part of a predominantly female industry paid far less than the national average. ¡°There¡¯s still such deep-rooted gender inequality,¡± added the 35-year-old, who was drawn to the profession during university as she watched her grandmother struggle with dementia.
While it¡¯s globally common for salaries in female-dominated professions such as nursing to be lower than in mostly male industries, Japan¡¯s gender pay gap, which measures the difference in wages between the sexes, is the highest among the Group of Seven rich nations.
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