The plight of Japan's working women is a subject that often pops up in the media. Female politicians and company executives voice the opinion that it would be good to harness the power of women in Japan, and that the garasu no tenjō (ガラスの天井, glass ceiling) needs to be smashed. But meanwhile, the majority of both men and women still seem to support the idea that a mother's place is in the home.

But when the silent majority gets vocal, its screams can often be heard on the Internet. A remarkable example is a Shukan Gendai weekly magazine article (Aug. 31) by female novelist Ayako Sono, titled, "Watashi no iwakan: Nandemo kaisha no seinisuru amattareta joshi shain tachi e" (「私の違和感」何でも会社のせいにする甘ったれた女子社員たちへ, "My feeling of discomfort: dedicated to spoiled female workers who blame everything on their company").

In the article, Sono, 82, a member of the Education Rebuilding Implementation Council under the prime minister's office, said women should quit work when they give birth. Mothers often have to leave the office early to attend their baby, for example when it has a fever, but not every company is happy to let them go home, she said in the article.