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Twenty-seventh Meeting of
the Council for Gender Equality
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Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda attended the 27th meeting of the Council for Gender Equality at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
The Council meets to investigate and deliberate on basic principles and policy as well as important matters concerning promoting the formation of a gender-equal society. The Council recognizes that it is increasingly necessary, given the decreasing birthrate and aging society, that the nation develops diverse human resources. The Council also considers it important that a variety of career options are available to people, men and women alike, at different stages of their lives, and that they can freely choose from amongst these options as they develop the required vocational skills. At the meeting, regarding measures that have been taken to increase the number of women participating in policy decision-making processes at the national level, a report was made on the status of participation by female members in the government's councils and committees. At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Fukuda said, "Those motivated women with excellent achievements will bring a new vitality to a society that finds itself in an unstable situation, and is filled with uncertainty about the future. We must achieve a breakthrough by utilizing women's outstanding abilities, the new perspectives that they can offer, and their profound sense of sensitivity, so that we can create a country of 'hope and reassurance.' I fully intend to work to increase the number of women participating in policy decision-making processes at the national level. Our goal is to achieve, by 2020, a share of approximately 30%, at least, of women in leading positions across all sectors in society. At present, approximately 70% of working women leave their jobs after giving birth. In light of this situation, we will create an environment where people can have children and raise them with a sense of security while continuing with their work, through such measures as allowing people to take a sufficient length of child-care leave and continue to work after returning from leave." |