Drag in Development for Females in Leadership Roles within Japan
The Japanese corporate landscape is witnessing a gradual shift towards gender diversity, with larger companies under increased pressure to make progress. These companies are required to produce action plans and disclose figures on this issue.
A recent survey by Teikoku Databank revealed that the proportion of female executives slightly increased to 13.8%, but all executives are male at 52.1% of companies. The survey also found that companies with only male managers make up 42.3% of the total.
Despite these figures, there are signs of optimism. Approximately 31.8% of the surveyed companies expect the proportion of female managers to increase, with this expectation soaring to 72.7% for companies with more than 1,000 employees.
The government has set ambitious targets for the proportion of female executives at companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime market. The target for 2025 is 19%, which is currently not yet achieved, and the target for 2030 is 30%.
The survey also highlighted several measures being implemented to promote the advancement of female employees. "Gender-neutral job assignments and postings" are used by 51.5% of the companies surveyed, while "gender-neutral performance evaluations" are the top measure, mentioned by 61.9% of the companies.
Another significant measure is the government-backed policy of "promotion of childcare and nursing care leave for men." This policy is being implemented by more than one in five companies surveyed, with a 2.3-point increase over the previous year. The survey found that "making it easier for women to take childcare and nursing care leave" is a measure used by 34.1% of the companies surveyed to promote the advancement of female employees.
However, the increase in the proportion of companies working on this policy is not reflected in the overall expectation for the proportion of female corporate directors to rise, which stands at only 13.0%.
In conclusion, while progress towards gender diversity in Japanese corporate leadership is slow, there are encouraging signs that companies are taking steps to promote the advancement of female employees. The government's targets for the proportion of female executives remain ambitious, but with the implementation of measures such as gender-neutral job assignments, performance evaluations, and childcare leave policies, it is hoped that these targets can be achieved in the coming years.
