The prolonged coronavirus pandemic is likely to lead to a widening of the gender gap in Japan, already the worst among major advanced countries, unless the government takes action, a Cabinet Office panel said recently.
In a report compiled in late April, the panel of experts said the crisis has led to an increase in domestic violence cases and suicides among women, while also hitting them harder financially, as many have lower-paid nonregular jobs in badly affected sectors such as restaurants and hotels.
The paper said an entrenched view that men were breadwinners and women responsible for household chores and child-rearing was still holding women back in society despite "rapid changes in individuals' work styles" and family composition.