DOMESTIC VS. PUBLIC POWER: JAPANESE WOMEN THREE DECADES AFTER EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY LAW

The present paper examines the problem of female participation to decision-making process from the viewpoints of public power and domestic power. First, it examines the current representation of Japanese women in leadership positions, and the benefits equal gender participation would bestow on economy and society. Second, it seeks to demystify the western image of Japanese women as "powerless" and "exploited" and argues that, given the culturally gendered division of work, the absence of public power does not necessarily reflect a lack of influence on the domestic stage. The author argues that, as the androcentric organizational culture and political leaders continue to strongly adhere to traditional gender segregation in the public sphere, women's wider access to positions of public power remains a remote goal, albeit an ongoing task for future generations.