As new era dawns in Japan, women still face age-old challenges

TOKYO - Ms Kumi Fujisawa launched her finance career in Tokyo in 1989. It was a notable year: Emperor Akihito ascended the Chrysanthemum throne, the Nikkei average reached its giddy peak and the latest Sony Walkman was a hot-selling gadget.

Ms Fujisawa, now 51, knew there was a tough road ahead because she was a woman, so she charted her own path, and unlike most of her female contemporaries, prevailed in her professional career. She was among several women Bloomberg News interviewed about their changing career prospects as Japan prepares to announce the name of the next era next Monday at about 11.30am Tokyo time, a month before the new emperor ascends the throne on May 1.

BOYS' CLUB Women are still paid only three quarters as much as men on average, and Japanese boardrooms are among the biggest boys' clubs in the developed world. Institutional gender bias remains. Last year, it emerged that for years, some of Japan's top medical schools had rejected female applicants in favour of less qualified men.

Ms Fukumoto said she overplayed her ambition in interviews and that may have dashed her chances to snare her dream job with a real-estate development company. "I think they're dreaming," Ms Fukumoto said."If you want to be a housewife, you've got to find a rich man to marry. Even if you do, you might get divorced, or he might die before you."

Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Tokyo: Stocks open down more than 2% on slowdown fears[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened sharply lower on Monday as fears lingered over a global economic slowdown following a dive in US stocks. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks open higher tracking rallies in US market[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened higher on Friday, as investors took heart from rallies on Wall Street and a relatively cheap yen against the dollar. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks open lower on Wednesday[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened lower on Wednesday as shares that lost rights to receive dividends weighed on the market despite gains on Wall Street. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks close up more than 2%[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks closed up more than 2 per cent on bargain-hunting Tuesday, recovering much of the previous day's losses, but investors remained cautious on signs of a possible global economic slowdown. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks open higher on bargain-hunting[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened higher on Tuesday on bargain-hunting following a three-percent plunge the previous day, but investors remained cautious on signs of a possible global economic slowdown. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks close marginally higher[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks closed slightly higher on Friday as rallies on Wall Street helped improve investor sentiment, but a stronger yen limited the gains. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »