Migrating for Equality - Gender Inequality in Japanese Workplaces and Economic Migration Among Women

The position of women in the Japanese workforce has been weak for decades because of discrimination and oppression from legislature, policies, and societal expectations. In the late 1980s, sexual harassment was mentioned in the Japanese legislature for the first time, marking a turning point in the treatment of sexual harassment cases. However, because of Japan’s roots in Confucianism and patriarchal society, Japanese people have a hard time letting go of traditional gender roles and overly sexual behaviour toward women. Simultaneously, Western countries such as the United States of America and Canada are popular destinations for the immigration of Japanese citizens, and women overtake the number of men in the total number of Japanese immigrants worldwide. Because of the negatives of gender inequality in Japanese workplaces and the positive outlook on Western countries, this thesis raises the question of how the unequal and oppressive treatment of women in the Japanese workforce...Show moreThe position of women in the Japanese workforce has been weak for decades because of discrimination and oppression from legislature, policies, and societal expectations. In the late 1980s, sexual harassment was mentioned in the Japanese legislature for the first time, marking a turning point in the treatment of sexual harassment cases. However, because of Japan’s roots in Confucianism and patriarchal society, Japanese people have a hard time letting go of traditional gender roles and overly sexual behaviour toward women. Simultaneously, Western countries such as the United States of America and Canada are popular destinations for the immigration of Japanese citizens, and women overtake the number of men in the total number of Japanese immigrants worldwide. Because of the negatives of gender inequality in Japanese workplaces and the positive outlook on Western countries, this thesis raises the question of how the unequal and oppressive treatment of women in the Japanese workforce affects the economic migration of Japanese women. Do women emigrate from Japan to countries with better gender equality to work in an environment where they are treated rather equally to men?Show less

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Migrating for Equality - Gender Inequality in Japanese Workplaces and Economic Migration Among Women