Gender equality in Japan

Why it took so long time to realize this: Gender equality, the number one human right, has improved in Japan significantly during the past ten or so years. In fact, the situation is so good that at any time Japan could claim a top-three position in the Gender equality list. In 2009 the top-three was by The World Economic Forum as follows:

1. Iceland
2. Finland
3. Norway

Am I talking total nonsense? No, Japan is not even a listed country but that's not the point.

See, the enlightening fact is: in those above top-three countries women are leveling their position against men. In other words, women are the changing variable while men stay in a fixed state.

On the contrary, in Japan, women's status is fixed while men tend to hold a changing variable. In practice that translates: men are undergoing a gradual change and becoming like women. And behold, only by a switch of perspective the gender equality gap has become narrower! Yahoo!

This realization came after reading a post by Quinni. She tells in the aftermath of living in Japan:

"Apparently, in Japan “masculine men” can be an oxymoron. They are skinny, they are shy, they are delicate, they are obsessed with fashion and hairstyles, they pluck their eyebrows, and I could swear, some of them wear make up!"

Cheers Quinni!