Abstract
Japan has witnessed marginalization and underrepresentation of women in its civil society. This study examines its extent. It also explores who in Japan’s civil society represent women’s interests by using survey data from civil society organizations. This study reveals that civil society organizations are generally led by male leaders, and around half of their staff are male. It also indicates that the number of organizations representing women’s interests is limited, with only 2.2% representing women’s interests. Interestingly, the central actors representing women’s interests include economic and business groups, political groups, labor groups, and civic groups including women’s groups.
Highlights
It addresses the following research questions to examine the current situation of Japanese civil society: RQ1: What are the differences in the proportions of male and female leaders and staff in civil society organizations?
What are the differences in the proportions of leaders and staff in civil society organizations between men and women? Not shown in the figure, women make up only 6.7% of the total number of leaders as a whole, with men making up the majority
The percentage of women in leadership positions in various fields is as follows: 10.1% of members of the House of Representatives, 20.7% of members of the House of Councillors, 9.9% of members of prefectural assemblies, 6.4% of prefectural governors, 33.4% of national public employees throngh the recruitment examinaation, 21.3% of judges, 23.5% of public prosecutors, 18.4% of lawyers. It indicates that the size of the gender gap in civil society organizations is as wide as, or sometimes wider than, that in the political and economic spheres, which are often criticized as hotbeds of gender inequality, especially in comparison with their international counterparts
Summary
Academic Editors: Elzbieta Antczak and Karolina Lewandowska-Gwarda. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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