TOKYO — This was supposed to be the era when Japan finally stepped beyond its centuries of patriarchal dominance and empowered women in the workplace. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the country’s prosperity depended on it, and promised policies to help women “shine.” He even gave the push a name: womenomics. Ms. Hojo, 32, the mother of a young daughter, has had three different employers during the nearly eight-year tenure of Mr. Abe, who said late last month that he was leaving office. In all of those jobs, Ms. Hojo worked mostly with women but was overseen by men — a still-common situation in Japan that belies Mr. Abe’s promise to significantly increase the share of women in management roles. And Ms. Hojo, like many women in Japan, cannot accept a full-time job even after Mr. Abe pushed through a law intended to ease Japan’s brutal work culture.

Source: New York Times September 13, 2020 03:56 UTC