> NDTV.com
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>
> International
>
> Japan to promote gender equality in jobs
> ----------------------------------------------
> Wednesday, December 28, 2005 (Tokyo):
>
> The Japanese government has endorsed a set of measures to put more
> women in top government posts, and provide more support for working
> mothers.
>
> The plan was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, and aims to
> raise the level of women recruited to top government careers from
> 21.5 per cent at present to about 30 per cent by fiscal 2010.
>
> It allows women working full-time in the central government to work
> shorter hours while raising children or caring for family members,
> and urges male civil servants to take paternity leave.
>
> Follow-up plan
>
> The plan is a follow-up to the government's Gender Equality Basic
> Plan, which was first introduced in 2000.
>
> It also urges companies to rehire women who left their jobs after
> giving birth.
>
> The government will come up with more measures to support female
> entrepreneurs, by providing information on how to start a business
> and introducing mentors.
>
> Declining numbers
>
> The endorsement comes as the nation faces a declining birth rate,
> hitting a record low in 2004 of 1.29 children per woman.
This is another example that a strike -- withdrawal of labor power -- works for workers!
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>