Date: June 21, 17:00-19:00
Place: GAKU
<On stage>
PwC Consulting LLC Ms. Mayi Hayashi (Facilitator)
Takeshi Ito, member of the Shibuya Ward Assembly
Adastria Co., Ltd. Kazuko Yamashita
Mr. Tomohiko Suzuki, Sports Biz Co., Ltd.
towards resolving the gender gap. Possibilities of Women's Active Participation as Discussed by Sports, Politics, and Companies
"Women's Wellness Action from Shibuya" is a project to disseminate "women's wellness thinking" from Shibuya to Japan and the world, and to enlighten the health of mind and body. The 2023 kickoff event was held on June 21st. Among them, a special talk session was held on the theme of "Promoting Women's Participation in Japanese Companies". Mayi Hayashi from PwC Consulting LLC, Takeshi Ito, member of the Shibuya Ward Assembly, Kazuko Yamashita from Adastria Co., Ltd., and Tomohiko Suzuki from Sports Biz Co., Ltd. We exchanged views on efforts to promote women's empowerment in Japanese society from different perspectives such as sports, politics, and business.
Ms. Hayashi says she made two discoveries while facing the lives and careers of women.
“One is that the choices in life become richer as we get older, and that we can continue to choose which option to choose at that time. People who have these two elements are , They look very happy. I am working every day thinking about what kind of initiatives I should take to increase the number of such people.”
Currently, Japan's gender gap index ranks 125th out of 146 countries in the world. Japan ranks among the top in the world in terms of education and health, but scores poorly in terms of politics and economy. In particular, it is said that there is a significant disparity in terms of the gender ratio of members of the Diet, ministers, and ward chairpersons, as well as in terms of political participation. About this, Mr. Hayashi says as follows.
“I have been advocating the need for women to play an active role in the organization, but I feel that there has not been enough discussion in Japan about what it means to actually have women playing an active role. When people hear the word ``women's empowerment'', the images that come to mind are very different.
On the other hand, due to the government policy for the empowerment of women in the last 10 years, recently the concept of “women’s empowerment” has evolved into “Diversity & Equity & Inclusion”.The previous Japanese organizational and personnel system was It used to be a uniform system that applied equally to everyone as much as possible, but recently many companies are taking on the challenge of pursuing fairness in a way that is optimal for each individual.
It is said that today's Japanese women are experiencing fewer childbirths and more menstrual disorders due to advancements in education and careers. Femtech and femcare technologies that support this are attracting attention, and self-care tools and online expert consultations are also becoming possible. Companies hold knowledge acquisition seminars and provide information on egg freezing. However, considering the ethical issues of technology utilization and career balance, individual solutions are required, so the Tokyo Metropolitan Government supports these efforts. Given this situation, Ms. Hayashi explains why companies should address women's health issues.
“It has been reported that health problems such as PMS and menopausal symptoms are causing a high percentage of women to hesitate to pursue promotions or quit their jobs, which is also a loss for organizations. At the same time, I would like to cooperate with companies and think about how to work together.”
According to Ms. Ito, the race director and secretary general of the Shibuya-Omotesando Women's Run, women in their 50s are now the main participants. This means that more and more women are enjoying sports even as they get older due to changes in awareness. Considering the physical strength of the participants, we set a debut quota for the event to make it easier for first-time runners to participate, and while working to discover young runners and sports enthusiasts, we support a wide range of women's sports activities.
Ms. Ito also mentioned women's political participation from the standpoint of a member of the Shibuya Ward Assembly. In the past, the number of women members was small, and the ward assembly was a male-centered society. However, the tide turned in 2019, and it is said that the number of female members of the Shibuya Ward Assembly has reached 11 and double digits. Mr. Ito talks about the changes that came to the Shibuya Ward Assembly as follows.
“At that time, the parliamentary group I belonged to consisted of eight members, five women and three men, so the atmosphere of conversation changed. 15 out of 10 people became female lawmakers.In Shibuya Ward, the ratio of female lawmakers is now about 45%, and in Suginami Ward, half of them are women.The number of female ward mayors is increasing, and it is also in the field of politics. You can see the changes.”
Ms. Suzuki explained the current status and challenges of women's success from the perspective of the sports world. According to Suzuki, in the sports world, the participation rate of women has been low since the early days of the modern Olympics, but has gradually increased, reaching 48.8% at the Tokyo Olympics. The number of medals won by women is also on the rise, and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, the number of medals won by women exceeded that of men. On the other hand, female athletes often face problems unique to women and changes in their physical conditions, and the lack of knowledge among young athletes at that time and lack of people to consult are also issues. Ms. Suzuki pointed to the lack of female leaders as one of the reasons for this problem.
“In the sports world, there is a shortage of female coaches, and the shortage of female coaches for female athletes in particular is becoming more pronounced. There is a desire to promote women's active participation by providing support from the sports world to address these issues, such as the acquisition of qualifications for sports club instructors and proposals for local sports coaching. There is
About 70% of the staff at Adastria, where Mr. Yamashita works, are women, but the percentage of women decreases as they move up to senior positions. In order to address this issue, Adastria has set a goal of increasing the ratio of female managers to 45% or more in 2019. We are also working to increase the percentage of women in senior positions to 30% or more.
Adastria has introduced a child-rearing support system in its personnel system, and is encouraging male employees to take childcare leave. Furthermore, it is said that 100% of male employees have taken childcare leave due to revisions to the law. In addition, we are creating a corporate culture through initiatives such as employee-participation events and career development support, but Mr. Yamashita says, "We have introduced a mentor system, especially for female managers, to provide support for concerns and issues." speaks.
“We are also focusing on health management and working on health issues through our own health insurance association and Adastria Wellness Community. In addition, we hold leadership lectures and career study sessions through diversity meetings to solve issues related to LGBTQ. We are also working on
Also, Adastria is promoting a change in the mindset of management, but currently all positions above executive officer are men. However, Mr. Yamashita explained that the situation has changed as there were voices questioning this situation, which is dominated by men, even at the management meeting.
“The management team is gradually beginning to recognize the importance of women's participation, and since last year we started to have female employees participate in management meetings, which has softened the atmosphere of management meetings. In addition to actively placing women at the top of the organization, staff support is also provided so that the top can make use of their own areas of expertise.”
In the second half of the talk session, the four clarified the structural issues related to the low number of women in the decision-making layer, and exchanged opinions on efforts to solve them.
When asked about how the idea of having women participate in Adastria's management meetings came about, he said, "The idea of women's participation in management meetings was born from the idea of top management. There were also people who had it,” explains Yamashita. Mr. Yamashita said the following.
“Last year, I also participated in a management meeting as one of the female members. What I felt when I participated was that even upper-level executives paid more attention to their language, and their facial expressions and way of speaking changed. I can see it, and I've seen it change little by little, and it's a great idea."
In response to a question about whether similar challenges can be tackled in the world of sports and politics, Ms. Suzuki replied that there is a male-led leadership in the world of sports, and it is difficult to convey the need for efforts to increase the number of female directors. Explain the current situation that is continuing. In addition, even if there are excellent women, the working environment at the site is sometimes harsh, so it is said that women sometimes feel a risk.
“In such situations, unless the psychological safety of women is ensured, I feel that it is difficult for them to actively participate. It is possible to introduce DX tools such as remote meetings with less oppression.”
On the other hand, Ms. Ito explained that nearly half of the members of the Shibuya Ward Assembly are women, and women's participation in the secretary-general meetings and assembly management committees is also increasing. However, in contrast, most of the positions above section manager are men, and the reason for this is said to be related to the work of reporting to the assembly and submitting bills.
“Reports and proposals to the assembly are a job that puts a lot of pressure on us because people with strong opinions appear and ask questions and point out issues. , I feel that women still account for 20 to 30%.However, even among the male directors, there are many who are not suitable or who are not able to answer properly.On the other hand, women study hard and answer properly. However, there is an impression that women have their own ideas, and women are gradually emerging.Also, the percentage of women in the Shibuya Ward Assembly is significantly higher than in other special wards, but this is due to the increase in women. I think it's because it reflects the voices of voters who want it."
As discussed in this talk session, there are various issues to be addressed in order to further promote the active participation of women in Japanese society. However, by working to solve these issues while keeping diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind, we should be able to create an organization and society in which everyone can play an active role.
Women's Wellness Action from Shibuya
https://womens-wellness-action.com
