Tuesday marks International Women’s Day, which honors the political, cultural and historical impact women have had on the world, but reports once again show that Japan still has significant work to do to achieve gender equality, especially in the workplace.
Japan ranked 120th out of 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap ranking in 2021, remaining in last place among advanced economies, due to particularly low scores in the political and economic arenas.
And government data has shown that, as with other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for women in Japan — who have already been at a disadvantage compared with men — to participate in the workforce.