gerial posts are occupied by women, unlike the United States, where the corresponding figure is 43%. In +2001, a white paper by the Government publicly expressed concern on the gender discrimination situation highlighted by an index developed by United Nations called the Gender empowerment measure 'that showed Japan as 41st among 70 countries that participated in the survey. It highlighted that wages of women were around two third of their male counterparts. Surveys done in subsequent years have shown the situation of Japanese women to be more or less unchanged.
In 1970s, labor economist Alis Cook and her associate Hiroko Hayashi published the summary of their interviews with members of Keidanren raquo ;, the national Federation of major Japanese companies, which clearly indicated that in spite of high participation in workforce in terms of numbers, the employers considered them a secondary, less trained and inferior workers not deserving of wages equal to their male counterparts.
In recent years, the modern Japanese women, has started expressing a far greater choice in her life-style. This has led to frequent change of jobs and delayed marriage sometimes extended far enough to retain single-hood as a way of life. As a corollary to the falling fertility rate and shrinking population, the greater independence of women in today's Japan ironically co-exists against the backdrop of a social order that still does not seem to be ready to give them an equal independent status in spite of all the economic, legal and social developments.of Japan
The aging of Japan is thought to outweigh all other nations, as the country is purported to have the highest proportion of elderly citizens; more than 2 0% are over the age of 65 today. [«Asia: Japan: Most Elderly Nation». The New York Times. 2006-07-01.] In 1989, only 11.6% of the population was 65 years or older, but projections were that 25.6% would be in that age category by 2030. However, those estimates are updated at 23.1% (as of February 2011) are already 65 and over, and 11.4% are 75 and over, now the world s highest (though 2010 Census age results have not yet been released). This change, referred to as k? Reikashakai, [John W. (2003). Demographic Change and the Family in Japan s Aging Society.] Will have taken place in a shorter span of time than in any other country.
The age 65 and above demographic group increased from 26.5 million in 2006 to 29.47 million in 2011, and 11.2% increase. The Japanese Health Ministry estimates the nation s total population will decrease by 25% from 127.8 million in +2005 to 95.2 million by 2050. [Japan s Elderly Population Rises to Record, Government Says Bloomberg] Japan s elderly population, aged 65 or older, comprised 2 0% of the nation s population in June 2006, [«Europe s Aging Population Faces Social Problems Similar to Japan s». Goldsea Asian American Daily] a percentage that is forecast to increase to 38% by 2055. [International Futures. «Population of Japan, Aged 65 and older».]
Conclusion
Power distance
This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal - it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally.
Japan is a mildly hierarchical society. Japanese are always conscious of their hierarchical position in any social setting and act accordingly. However, it is not as hierarchical as most of the other Asian cultures. Some foreigners experience Japan as extremely hierarchical because of their business experience of painstakingly slow decision making process: all the decisions must be confirmed by each hierarchical layer and finally by the top management in Tokyo. Paradoxically, the exact example of their slow decision making process shows that in Japanese society there is no one top guy who can take decision like in more hierarchical societies. Another example of not so high power distance is that Japan has always been a meritocratic society. There is a strong notion in the Japanese education system that everybody is born equal and anyone can get ahead and become anything if he (yes, it is still he) works hard enough.
The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people? S self-image is defined in terms of «I» or «We». In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to in groups that take care of them in exchange for loyalty...
