Women Today

Celebration Messages for KFAW’s
20th Anniversary

Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) celebrated its 20th anniversary on October 1, 2013; the organization
also made a new start as a public interest incorporated foundation this fiscal year.
We have received many messages celebrating our 20th anniversary from people around the world who havehelped us in our efforts. Below are messages from four of those people.

Ms. Arni HOLE ( Director General, The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality
and Social Inclusion)
Arni Hole is Director General for the Department of Family and Equality in the Royal Ministry ofChildren and Equality since 2001. She holds degrees in Philosophy and Economic History. Holehas held several Director General positions within public service (5 Ministries) including the
Norwegian School of Sports and the Research Foundation of the Oslo Region. She has served on
many boards.

Greetings from Norway!
As a long time friend and a supporter of Japaneseefforts for promoting gender equality and women’sinterests, I congratulate KFAW on the 20th anniversary.
I honor the achievements and the standing you havereached as an important stakeholder in Japanese society
and elsewhere in Asia.
Norwegian experiences show it is paramount thatany society has competent NGOs and civil society
foundations cooperating with a government. However,
the NGOs must sustain their own, independent voices
as to make a difference. In regard to gender equality, it

has been vital and decisive for Norwegian politics andthe milestones we have reached, to have strong andclever women’s organizations.
No society can grow and prosper without women’stalents and capacities being included and put to use.
Norwegian GNP would have been much lower if womenceased working to the extent they do. Women in Norway
have real options to choose both children and career, notbeing ‘forced’ to choose either – or of the two. To fulfill
women’s human rights and full participation in society,on all levels and in all sectors, is in fact smart economy.
Best of luck in the next 20 years.

Mr. Christopher GREEN (Executive Director, White Ribbon Campaign UK)
Chris Green has worked as the Director of White Ribbon Campaign UK since 2006. He has
conducted trainings for Oxfam, the British Council, and the European Union. For four years, he wasa member of the Council of Europe Task Force to End Violence against Women. He was the Chairof the Coalition of Men and Boys, and sits on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence ProgramGroup on Domestic Abuse, as well as End Violence against Women Coalition. In 2007, he wasawarded Ultimate Man of the Year by Cosmopolitan, and in 2012, ran with the Olympic Torch in
London. He also took part in The 23rd Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women in November 2012as a keynote speaker.
In November 2012, he was appointed as a member of the UN Network of Men Leaders tocombat violence against women by Ban Ki-moon.
The work of KFAW is unique. It offers a comprehensive
example of what can be achieved locally, nationally andinternationally, providing a first class example of cooperation to champion women’s rights.
For 20 years it has been at the forefront of promoting
gender equality in Japan, in Asia, and throughout theworld.
In November 2012 I was honored to be the keynote
speaker at the 23rd Kitakyushu Conference on Asian
Women hosted by KFAW, and to have the opportunity toshare experiences with staff during Panel Discussions

No.70 March 2014

at the conference and during visits and meetings after
the conference.
I salute the pioneering staff of KFAW, and offer
thanks to those who have worked there in the past.
There is still much to do to achieve a world of equality,
freedom and respect for all. KFAW helps to provide avision of the way ahead.
I look forward to this important work being
supported, recognized and celebrated during the next
twenty years of the existence of KFAW.

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Mr. KIM Min Bae (Former President, Incheon Development Institute, Korea)
Former President of Incheon Development Institute in Korea. Graduated from Inha University
with a Ph.D. in law. Professor at Inha University Law School and a member of the Korean Association
for Industrial Technology Security advisory committee.

Congratulations on the KFAW’s 20th anniversary!
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) andthe Incheon Development Institute (IDI) have maintained
a cooperative relationship and sought mutual
development through exchange programs. Bothinstitutions have shared their wisdom and knowledge
through reports and presentations in conferences andseminars in such areas as women and child-care. Bothinstitutions have worked together to promote a sharedvision for Asian societies and search for solutions tocurrent challenges that Korean and Japanese societies
are facing in the areas of women, child-care, families
and culture.
Women, multi-culture, families, equality and humanrights are common issues that all Asian countries are
currently dealing with. Koreans are much interested in
how Japan has responded to such challenges andpresented practical solutions to them. I know that KFAW
has surely played a leading role in pursuing solutions tothose challenges in Japan. All the IDI members haveadmired the KFAW’s endeavors and achievements in thecourse of addressing those challenges in Japan.
In a similar context, the city of Incheon and the cityof Kitakyushu have maintained a sister city partnershipand collaborated to promote friendship between the twocities. Over the last decade the city of Kitakyushu have
set the standard for other Asian cities in the issues ofenvironment, women, and culture. Especially the KFAW’s
effort and passion in such issues as woman, family,
multi-culture and community have shown what kind ofvision the city of Incheon should create in those areas.
There is a Korean saying that captures the essenceof our future relationship; “If you want to go farther, go
together with a friend.” I urge that the KFAW and the
IDI work together to come up with specific action plansfor citizens by examining urban issues from citizens’
perspective. In so doing, we hope that cooperative
relations between the KFAW and the IDI, between thecity of Incheon and the city of Kitakyushu, and between
Korea and Japan will mature and expand in the coming
years. We also hope that the KFAW continues to take aleading role in the efforts of Asian community to tackle
challenges in the areas of women, families andcommunity.
I wish all the best for the 20 year-old KFAW, and allits members and their families. Thank you very much.

Ms. Sjamsiah ACHMAD (Chair, Indonesian Center for Women in Politics (ICWIP))
Ms. Sjamsiah ACHMAD graduated from New York University School of Education in 1962 andhas undergone numerous trainings in the fields of education and science, politics and management,
both in Indonesia and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Vienna on the United
Nations policies and administration.
She retired from the United Nations in 1988 and appointed as Assistant Minister for Education,
Office of the State Ministry for the Role of Women in Indonesia (1988-1995); Member of the United
Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (2001-2004);
Member of the Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women (2003-2006 and2006-2009); Chair of the Indonesian Center for Women in Politics (ICWIP) (2004-present).
I am privileged to have been invited to join thecelebration of the 20th Anniversary of KFAW. I was oneof the overseas guests during its inauguration 20 years
ago and am pleased to congratulate KFAW on its
outstanding contribution to Asian women.
There is no doubt that women studies lecturers andwomen activists have benefited from KFAW’s programs
and Asian Breeze newsletters. They demonstrate a wide
range of women issues in Asian countries and theirinterdependence with the global issues.
I, however, wish to suggest that in the future KFAW
gives priority to the enhancement of networking among

women / gender study centers and graduate programs
on women / gender studies within Asian region. This is
to provide comprehensive evidences about the negative
impacts of gender based discrimination and theadvantages of gender equality and justice for all womenand men, young and old.
The distribution of such evidences through ICT will no
doubt enhance public awareness and commitment about theneeds to eliminate gender based discrimination and toenhance efforts towards the realization of gender equality
and justice in our daily life, from within our respective family,
national and Asian environment up to the global context.

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No.70 March 2014

Current Issues Series“Malaysia’s Bid to Attain
Developed Nation Status:
Enhancing Women’s Role in
Economy and its Challenges”

Lecturer, Fukuoka Women's University

Ayame SUZUKI

Ayame SUZUKI is a Lecturer in the Fukuoka
Women’s University, Japan. She holds a Ph.D. ininternational relations from the University of Tokyo.
She was a Research Fellow of the Japan Society
for the Promotion of Science, and served as a
researcher at the University of Malaya before
assuming the current position. Dr. Suzuki’s
substantive research on politics and law in
Malaysia was published as Freedom and Order in“Democracies”: Reconsidering Malaysia’s Political
Regime (Kyoto University Press, 2010).

In Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s second largest economy
after Singapore, female leaders are very active. Governor Zeti
Akhtar AZIZ of the Central Bank of Malaysia is often selected
as the most excellent governor of a central bank by the U.S.
Global Finance. Another example is Rafidah AZIZ, who isrenowned in Japan as well for her dedication to forming acloser economic relationship between Malaysia and Japan.
She long served as the Minister of International Trade andIndustry from the time of the Mahathir administration.
There are many young female politicians who are attracting
wide attention for their influential voices and actions.
These female leaders, however, are exceptions. According to
the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 released by the World
Economic Forum, Malaysia ranks 102nd out of 136 countries
surveyed in terms of gender gap index. The country is the lowest
among the five ASEAN countries: the Philippines (5th),
Singapore (58th), Thailand (65th), and Indonesia (95th).
(Malaysia is above Japan at 105th.)
The gender gap index is calculated based on scores in thefields of economy, politics, health, and education. In Malaysia,
the scores of women’s participation and opportunities in thefields of economy and politics are extremely low. This situation
is similar to Japan’s. For instance, the rate of women among
the National Assembly members is 10% (8% in Japan), among
the Cabinet Members is 6% (12% in Japan), and among
company managers is 25% (9% in Japan). Moreover, thewomen’s labor force participation rate (the rate of those working
among the working-age population) in Malaysia is 46% (63%in Japan); and the female working population is 59% of maleworking population. This means that more than half thewomen do not engage in the economy as income earners.
The Malaysian government is, of course, well aware ofthis situation. The Prime Minister Najib Razak, inaugurated
in April 2009, announced the New Economic Model (NEM) asa blueprint for transforming Malaysia into a developed
country by 2020. The NEM positions the use of women’scapabilities for increasing the productivity as one of theimportant policies.
Behind the development of the NEM is the fact that nonBumiputera, such as Chinese and Indians, are dissatisfied
with the preferential policy for the country’s ethnic majority
Bumiputera, and that the country’s ruling party, National
Front, is losing support among the general public mainly due toworkers’ dissatisfaction about wage depression originatingfrom the flow of low-wage foreign workers. Meanwhile, thegovernment is worried that the country is exposed to competition
with neighboring countries that have advantage in low-wage

No.70 March 2014

labors, while Malaysia has not transformed its economic
structure from that of low technology and low productivity. To
overcome these political and economic challenges, the NEM
strives to shift from an economy dependent on low-wage laborto an economy driven by innovation.
As for the necessity of promoting women’s labor force
participation, the NEM presents two reasons. Firstly, thegovernment aims to invigorate the country’s economy by using
women’smanagement
capabilities,
characterizedbycomprehensive
leadership,
teamwork,
andfinancial/environmental consideration. Secondly, the rise of women’s labor
force participation rate can offset the working population decrease
generated by the reduced number of foreign workers, who are
causing the state of low wage and low productivity.
Specific measures include implementation of flexible
working patterns, such as reduced working hours andtelecommuting, and establishment of many more nurseryschools. In addition, a preferential tax treatment has alreadybeen launched for companies’ training expenses for female
workers who were absent from work due to childcare or otherthings.
Although the above measures are seemingly reasonable,
you can easily imagine that “flexible working patterns”
include the employment of many temporary workers. These
measures might be helpful for raising women’s labor force
participation rate, boosting labor input, and encouraging
economic growth. However, such measures do not lead toincreasing the number of opportunities for women to engage
in management as decision makers. On the contrary, themeasures might actually end up increasing the number ofwomen in unstable employment. The reality is too far fromthe NEM’s first vision of economic growth by fully utilizing
women’s management capabilities.
To ensure that women fully demonstrate their potential
and contribute to the economy, it is necessary to change thesocial structure in which only women are forced to balance
between household chores/childcare and careers, and also tochange people’s mindset that forces women to do so. The NEM
presents no solution to these fundamental challenges.
It seems that Malaysia and Japan have similar challenges.
It is not, of course, easy to change people’s awareness ofgender roles. Without an vibrant society where both womenand men can fully demonstrate their capabilities, however, it
may be difficult to get on track for sustainable economic
growth. As a Japanese woman studying Malaysia, I would
like to consider cooperation between the countries throughsharing best practices.

3

The 24th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian WomenFor the two days of Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, 2013, the Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women washeld at the Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center (MOVE). This year’s conference took place as an event to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women and the 50th anniversary of the City of Kitakyushu.
On the 9th, the first day, an international symposium titled “Women’s Greater Participation in Japan and the World Brings
Positive Change” was held jointly by the City of Kitakyushu and the Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center (MOVE).
In the symposium’s keynote speech, Ms. Yukako UCHINAGA, one of the female business leaders, spoke about theuse of women’s abilities from the strategic standpoint of companies. In the subsequent panel discussion, discussion washeld with reference to the example of Norway, one of the world’s most advanced countries where women have beensuccessfully demonstrating their abilities in society, as well as the examples of South Korea and Kitakyushu.
On November 10, a cultural exchange event between women’s organizations in the City of Kitakyushu and the Incheon
Metropolitan City was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of the sister city relationship between thetwo cities.
In addition, a panel exhibition took place to review KFAW’s 20 years of activities.

→Presenting opportunities for exchanging information byholding seminars for all female workers and panel
discussions for female managers
2) It was difficult to strike a good balance between careersand household chores/childcare.
→Adopting a working scheme by which workers could selecttheir working places and hours more flexibly, andestablishing a corresponding assessment system
3) It was difficult for female workers to join in a so-called“old boys network.” (an organizational culture that has
been nurtured in a male-dominant society by maleworkers to do business smoothly.)→Encouraging workers to understand how organizational
cultures differ between men and women, changing thecorporate climate, and establishing a women’s network
As a result of the above efforts, five years later, thecompany successfully achieved the target of increasing thepercentage of female managers to the same level as malemanagers. This was made possible by the top management’s
strong belief in the importance of using women’s capabilities
as a corporate strategy. The company subsequently realizeda V-shaped turnaround.

◆Keynote Speech“Utilize Women’s Abilities as a Corporate
Strategy − a Message to Companies andWomen −”
Ms. Yukako UCHINAGA(Board Chair, Incorporated Non-profit Organization J-Win)
Importance of Diversity
In this age of information andglobalization, how to establish a
new business model and how toincrease the level of customer
satisfaction are truly crucial.
What are required in this situation
are innovative attempts andcreative ideas and sense of value.
With this as a background,
diversity – the approach of striving
Ms. Yukako UCHINAGA
to actively use a wide variety ofhuman resources with different values and from different
cultural backgrounds – is now regarded as an importantbusiness strategy throughout the world.

Messages to Companies and Women
Working women should set up goals regarding theircareers. If any opportunity is given, you need to try to makefull use of it, regardless of the way in which you do so. This
will certainly improve your skills. It is tough for both men
and women to pursue their career, but it also brings you joyof self-realization. If you decide to generate certain
achievements in your career, you must never give up.
For companies, the use of women’s capabilities does not
simply entail HR policy; it is confirmed that such use isimperative in making Japanese business society even morecompetitive. The first step toward promoting diversity
management is the use of women’s capabilities, although
this is not the ultimate goal. It is hoped that many morecompanies will use women’s capabilities in order to makeJapan even more competitive.

Diversity as a Corporate Strategy
In 1993, Louis Gerstner assumed the position ofchairperson of IBM, which was suffering from sluggish
business results in those days. Emphasizing the promotionof management diversity as one of the important elements
for the company’s drastic reform, he established a target tobe achieved by IBM group companies in the world: making afull use of women’s abilities, who form a major “minority”
group in the world. At IBM Japan, a group was establishedto strive for the promotion of the use of women’s abilities. As
a result of the group’s discussion, the following threeproblems to be solved were revealed:
1) No role model was available in the workplace, which madeit difficult for female workers to draw their future
pictures.

4No.70 March 2014

Panel Discussion

and local assembly members. The system is necessary forpromoting women’s empowerment in South Korea.

Panelists

From Ms. Junko KOMORITA, the Top Manager of aConstruction Company
Ms. Junko KOMORITA has
received the Mayor’s Prize at theCity of Kitakyushu Work Life
Balance Awards as an individual
and as a company respectively, as
well as the Women’s Challenge Prize
from the Cabinet Office of Japan in
2013. She shared her own experiences
about her attempts to use women’sabilities.
Her company has adopted designs Ms. Junko KOMORITA
generated from the perspective of women as ordinary
citizens, and employed a work sharing scheme to enablefemale employees at different life stages to work. In the
male-dominated construction industry, she implemented
management that could be made possible only by a woman,and promoted nationwide community creation projects by
the Female Construction Design Team, which are helping
the company generate favorable business results.

Ms. Yukako UCHINAGA(Board Chair, Incorporated Non-profit Organization J-Win)

Mr. Bjørn MIDTHUN(Minister-Counselor, Royal Norwegian Embassy)

Ms. Mihee HONG
(Head of Division Policy Research, Incheon Foundation for Women and Family)

Ms. Junko KOMORITA(Representative Director, Zm’ken Service Co., Ltd.)

Coordinator
Ms. Mitsuko HORIUCHI (KFAW President)
From Mr. Bjørn MIDTHUN of the Royal Norwegian Embassy
He explained mainly about thecurrent situation of Norway, acountry of gender equality, as well
as about the country’s measures torealize women’s participation insociety and achieve an appropriate
work-life balance.
Currently, in Norway, there aremany women active in society. Of
particular note is that in politics
Mr. Bjørn MIDTHUN
women account for 40% of thenational assembly members and 50% of the cabinet members,
and a woman has assumed the position of prime minister.
This indicates that the percentage of women in decisionmaking processes is extremely high.
What has encouraged this trend is the country’s quota
system and childcare support system to enable mothers toreturn to their work after childbirth. Particularly, theestablishment of many more nursery facilities and the paidchildcare leave system, as well as the Papa Quota scheme
which encourages more fathers to participate in childcare,enable men and women to cooperate in childcare and women
to work without hesitation.
As a result, the women’s labor force participation rate of
Norway is relatively high among OECD countries, and thecountry’s birthrate is also high.

Free Discussion
Discussion was held
regarding the positiveeffects that the use of
women’s capabilities will
have on businesses and theentire society, as well as
regarding the necessity ofa quota system, based on
Panelists
the examples of Norway
and South Korea. In addition, it was discussed what should bedone to promote the use of women’s capabilities in Japan, theprogress of which is hard to observe in this country. It is
insufficient for the government to launch certain measuresand systems. Ms. UCHINAGA indicated the necessity of thecommitments of companies’ top managers to strategies forutilizing women’s capabilities. Ms. KOMORITA said that itwas necessary to establish a corporate climate where women
could fully demonstrate their abilities.
The discussion concluded with the audience asking
questions and voicing comments. A female company manager
in the audience said, “A numerical target is set up at myworkplace for the promotion of female employees, about
which I feel uncomfortable. I often think that I’ve beenpromoted only thanks to this target.”, Ms. UCHINAGA
replied, “Even if you are told that you have been promoted to
manager just because you are a woman, you need never careabout that. The reality is that the percentage of female
managers is still very small. This does not mean that women
are inferior to men, but that women have been placed in anenvironment where they cannot fully demonstrate theirabilities for various reasons. Many women are not mentally
ready, but that is not a reason to refuse opportunities given.
Without fear of making mistakes, you should do your best incooperation with your subordinates, coworkers, and bosses.”
Her comment was so encouraging that the audience, most ofwhom were women, felt greatly emboldened.

From Ms. Mihee HONG of South Korea
She spoke about women’s
participation in the politics of South
Korea and Incheon Metropolitan
City, as well as the background to
the election of the country’s firstfemale president. In South Korea, aquota system was introduced in thefield of politics, which has increased
women’s participation in politics.
She also explained about changes
Ms. Mihee HONG
in the percentages of women among
national and local assembly members, as well as about thecountry’s election system.
In South Korea, pro and con discussions are underway
regarding the quota system. However, it is true that thesystem has increased the percentages of female national

No.70 March 20145◆◆ CulturalExchangeEventbetweenWomenʼsOrganizations◆oftheCityofKitakyushuandIncheonMetropolitanCity ◆The
interactive
relationshipbetween
IncheonMetropolitan City and KFAW began in 2007. This year, 11
members of the Incheon Council of Women, including theorganization’s President LEE, visited KFAW and attended acultural exchange event with women’s organizations in
Kitakyushu. President LEE and the organization’s Chief
Secretary SHIN also visited KFAW in February 2013, inorder to help us make this interactive event happen. On the
day of the event, Ms. Mihee HONG, the panelist of theprevious day’s 24th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women,joined in the group; we welcomed a total of 12 members.

Subsequently, the participants
moved to a Japanese tea room,
where Japanese participants
demonstrated their skills of
making the traditional Japanese
tea under the guidance of Ms.
Masako Date, a tea ceremony
master of Urasenke. The South
Korean participants also tried
making traditional Japanese tea
and enjoyed the taste of their tea.

< Women’s Groups in Kitakyushu Participating in the Event >Next, they tried on thenational costumes of each
Making tea
country. The South Koreanparticipants put on Japanese kimono, while Japaneseparticipants put on chima chogori, the Korean national
costume. The South Korean members selected kimono with
their favorite patterns and the Japanese members helped
dress them in the kimono. The scene of all 12 members
wearing kimono was very impressive, making the atmosphereat the venue even more exciting.

The Council of Women’s Groups of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu
Council to Promote Better Eating Habits, Kitakyushu Associationof Nursery & Kindergarten Teachers, the National Federation ofBusiness and Professional Women's Clubs of Japan, Kitakyushu,
and the Training Network for Leaders of Lifelong Learning
The event attracted more than 30 persons from women’sorganizations in Kitakyushu. Associate Professor KIM of the
University of Kitakyushu served as an interpreter for this event
and a supervisor for the Korean cooking session held as part ofthe event. In addition, citizen volunteer interpreters and staff
dispatched from Incheon Metropolitan City to the City of
Kitakyushu joined the interactive event.
The event began withcooking and tasting typicaldishes representing eachcountry. While rolled sushi,
inari-zushi (flavored boiled
rice wrapped in fried bean
curd), and a nishime (dishsimmered slowly in a soy
broth) were cooked as
representative of Japanesedishes,chapchaeandsongpyeon (types of beanjam cakes)* were prepared
as Korean dishes. The
Cooking dishes
members from the women’sorganizations in South Korea also tried making rolled sushi.
The participants from both countries demonstrated theirwonderful cooking skills and made delicious dishes.

Commemorative photo of members in kimono

The event concluded with interaction among all theparticipants at the Exchange Plaza on the first floor of the
MOVE. Sharing tables together, the Japanese and South
Korean participants formed closer relationships with eachother through interpreters. On behalf of women in
Kitakyushu, Ms. Katae Terasaka delivered her greetingsand gave a singing performance, before the event reached asuccessful conclusion.
(On the front cover of the magazine is a commemorative photographtaken at this event.)＊Songpyeon

This is traditionally eaten on the day of Chuseok, a major harvest
festival in the country held on August 15 according to the lunar calendar.
To cook this food, ﬁrst pour hot water into glutinous rice powder and stir
it. With this dough, wrap the mixture of adzuki beans, chestnuts, groundsesame seeds, and sugar, and then steam it in a steamer lined with pineneedles. In Korea, it is said that single women who can make beautifully
shaped songpyeon will ﬁnd excellent marriage partners, while pregnant
women who can do so will have cute babies.

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No.70 March 2014

The 23nd KFAW Foreign Correspondents’ Reports
ProfileCareer Hunting:
The Generation/ Gender Gap

I am a second-generation Japanese immigrant who grew up
in the United States. I studied Japanese and anthropology
through study abroad at Sophia University while I was in
Pennsylvania University. Currently, I am working as a coordinator
for international relations in Okagaki, Japan. From 2012, I started
to research on relationship between Japan and the United States
as a fellow of the Sasagawa Peace Foundation. I was elected forthe president of national AJET committee for 2013-14.

Ms. Kay E. MAKISHI (U.S.A.)The Generation Gap
Flexibility, upward mobility, and work-life balance aresome key aspects the current American generation seeks forin a career. Popular industries include technology, business,and health services. Particularly in the technology andbusiness industries, globalization is kindling more overseas
ties which affect how work relationships are being conductedin the US due to differences in location and time zones. For
example, emailing and teleconferencing are vital tooperations in many industries. All these factors that coincidewith the change in the current generation’s work landscapedemand and allow for flexibility from both employees andmanagers. It also greatly affects the pursuit of genderequality.
In addition, job hopping has become the norm in the US.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people in theirearly 50’s held an average of 11 jobs from ages 18 to 46.
Networking is the buzz word and the constant evolution oftechnology allows this to be done easier now than in thepast. For example, social media platforms such as LinkedIn,
are specifically created to help build one’s professional
network. A common phrase heard in college these days
regarding advice to students looking for jobs is, “it’s all about
who you know”.

or the other. In the case of females, this metaphor often
referred to those two things as having a career and raisingchildren. Today, the more common saying you hear is, “youcan have your cake and eat it, too.” According to Forbes, thenumber of women in law school has gone from 4% in 1963 to
44% in 2012, and the number in medical school increased
from 6% to 49%. Though there is momentum through thiscritical mass, there is still a lot more work needed to achieve
gender equality in the US.
The Gender Difference
The fact that more women are joining the workforce andachieving managerial and executive positions is encouraging
women with careers to be the new standard. C-level female
executives such as Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook who
graduated from Harvard Business School and also wrote
the book Lean In, serve as role models for more women to
take control of their careers.
In the US, work-life balance is the key and both womenand men seek it in their careers. However, women tend toseek more flexibility than men since the majority of
responsibilities for childcare are still often laid upon women.
In my case, being in my mid-20’s and looking forward toadvancing my career in addition to one day raising a family,
telecommuting in terms of flexibility is an important aspect
I look for in a job.
The highest paying jobs for women are in health care,business and computer science, according to Forbes. Womenin these fields can earn and are earning over $100,000 ayear. However, women are still recorded to earn just 82% of
their male counterparts. Jobs in engineering and hardsciences are still dominated by males, while the majority ofnursing and caretaker positions are held by females.
Regardless of all these existing inequalities, society ison the right track with more and more women feelingempowered to pursue both a career and raising a family in
addition to a shift in consciousness at the workplace.
Moreover, women empowerment is not just about women. It
is about men, too. Because without men sharing
responsibilities regarding house chores and child rearing,
women cannot have the freedom or time to be able to become
successful inside and outside the home. It takes both genders
to be aware of each other’s goals. Only through respect,compromise as well as increased understanding from
employers and a change in the work environment, true
gender equality can be achieved.

The Breadwinner and HomemakerIn past generations, males tended to be viewed as‘breadwinners’, meaning a main income earner of a family
while females often fulfilled a domestic role as homemakers
and were solely responsible for childrearing. This genderstereotype is gradually dissipating as more women feel andbecome empowered.
There is a saying, “you can’t have your cake and eat it,
too.” Meaning, you can’t do both things; you must choose one

No.70 March 2014

7

Profile

Becoming Solar Lamp Entrepreneurs:
Adult Education among Rural Women inIndonesia

Having been a KFAW Foreign Correspondent in 2005-2009,
I am excited to return again this year. I graduated from National
University of Singapore with the Masters in Social Sciences
degree. In 2010, I co-founded Nusantara Development
Initiatives, a non-profit social enterprise which aims to train
Indonesian rural women to become entrepreneurs. I hope tocontinue sharing my perspectives on Indonesian women through
KFAW.

Ms. Gloria ARLINI (Indonesia)
Children come to mind whenever we talk about education.
Educational initiatives such as Teach For America and its
equivalent in Indonesia, Indonesia Mengajar, for example,
groom bright talented recent college graduates to serve for
one to two years as primary school teachers at their countries’
underprivileged schools. Barring some criticisms, suchinitiatives are largely welcomed as a great leap forward inmoulding the minds of the young, our future generations.
But the onus to shape children’s personalities does notlie solely upon schools. Informal education starts at home,which means that parents—especially mothers—play aneven more significant part in educating their children.
Having a positive role model they can look up to at home is
the key to nurturing the healthy psychological and moral
development of young children.
For these reasons,adult education is noless important thanchildeducation.
Unfortunately, theformer is typicallyneglected.
Adultsareassumed to have
NDI Fellows
already passed theirlearning age and saddled with responsibilities such as
making ends meet and childcare, no longer have time norinterest to learn. Adult women are doubly marginalized,
especially in the context of patriarchal societies in Asia andAfrica, where women are given a role of homemakers andcaregivers—neither of which requires much ‘education’.
Besides, in remote villages where resources are scarce andpatriarchal values are not yet diluted by modern andWestern ideas of gender equality, and the concept of lifelong
learning for rural adult women are practically nonexistent.
But how hungry they are for knowledge!
In the past three years, Nusantara Development
Initiatives: NDI (www.ndi.sg), the social enterprise I cofounded, has been working in remote rural areas in Indonesia
with no access to electricity. We aim to end energy poverty
by training rural women to become solar lamp entrepreneurs.
We encourage these women to start a small business selling
good quality environmentally-friendly solar lamps to theircommunities.
These women are housewives aged between 30 and 60
years old with little education. Some are elderly women who
do not know how to write and read very well, others are
divorcees who have to be the sole breadwinner for theirfamilies, yet others are enterprising young women who want
to try their hands at business. But one thing remains thesame: these women have strong desire to learn and broaden
their horizons, especially when we bring new knowledge

right to their doorsteps.
“I want to learn,” one fifty-year-old woman said shyly,“when else will I get such an opportunity, since I am alreadyso old?”Of course teaching older women demands different
pedagogical strategies as compared to teaching children. To
train these women, NDI has developed our own
entrepreneurship module which encompasses productknowledge, communication skills, marketing skills, sales
techniques and book-keeping. As literacy level is relatively
basic in these villages, we have to devise creative ways toprepare these materials to engage the women, such as
having less words and more attractive visuals, doing
interactive hands-on activities and playing games, doing
sing-along sessions and drama skits.
We also have an out-of-class practical session, where webring these women out to another village to practice directly
what they have learnt in the classroom. We encourage them
to apply their newly-acquired communication, marketingand sales skills to sell the solar lamps to ‘familiar
strangers’.

Solar Lamp

You know what joy is when you see their expressions
shown after having successfully made their very first sale.
The apex of the training program is the graduation. Thisis a momentous occasion for the women entrepreneurs, whohave never been to a graduation ceremony before—let alone
starring in one. Each woman is given a graduation certificate
and a Business-in-a-Bag kit, comprising five lamps as astarter kit. They can then proudly embark on their journeys
as solar lamp entrepreneurs.
Many of us take education for granted, because it is socommonplace where we come from. But to these rural
middle-aged women, learning means having someone who
spends time to guide them, root for them, and believe inthem—for the first time in their lives. And sometimes, thatis all they need.
An elderly woman proudly displayed her certificate ofgraduation and our class photo in her humble 2mx2m livingroom. Her youngest son smiled proudly at his mother, awoman who only studied up to Primary 4, as we congratulated
her for being our best-performing entrepreneur.
“I am happy that you came to our village,” she said,“Teach me more, I want to learn more.”
She was 68 years old.

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No.70 March 2014

ProfileChild Education

I am from the most deprived province in Pakistan and thebackground of my family is a tribal family. I have experience ofworking in three provinces of Pakistan in the fields of disastermanagement and gender-based violence. Now I have acommunity-based organization which focuses on human rights,
women's education, etc. I am a student in the gender studies
department of Qaid e Azam University in Islamabad. I wish toempower women in Pakistan, give equal opportunities to them,and promote gender mainstreaming.

Mr. Saboor Ahmed (Pakistan)
Education is very essential for the progress of any
country and the success of a nation stands on quality
education. Pakistan is a country where the educational
condition is not satisfactory, and this is the reason that
Pakistan ranks second in terms of the number of out-ofschool children in the world, only after Nigeria.
The status ofgovernment schools
is not good, because
Pakistan is spending
only 2.6 to 2.3 percent
of its GNP (grossnational product) on
them. Other reasonsfor the failure in the
20 million children are not enrolled in
educational systemschool in Pakistan.
includelackofinterest in education in rural areas because of poverty andlow awareness. Pakistani society has a mix of different
cultures, and some cultures neglect education, especially forgirls.
The picture of illiteracy in Pakistan is grim. Although
successive governments have announced various programs
to promote literacy, especially among women, they havebeen unable to translate their words into action because ofvarious political, social and cultural obstacles.
Official statistics
releasedby
theFederal
Education
Ministry of Pakistan
give a desperate
picture of education
for all, especiallygirls. The overall
literacy rate is 60
percent, while only
Lack of equipment and basic needs in
46 percent of female
schools
are literate. The
situation is especially alarming in rural areas due to socialand cultural obstacles. One of the most deplorable aspects isthat in some places, particularly northern tribal areas, theeducation of girls is strictly prohibited on religious grounds.
This is a gross misinterpretation of Islam, the dominantreligion in Pakistan (96 percent of the population), which, likeall religions, urges men and women to acquire education.
As we have seen, the literacy rate of women is only 46
percent in Pakistan. The Article25-A of the 18th Amendment
to the Constitution of Pakistan ensures free and compulsory
education to all children of the age of 5 to 16 years, andprovinces are making some progress towards its
implementation. Because of the high population growth rateand low expenditure on education, the shift in the averagelevel of adult literacy has been slow, from 26 percent in 1981

No.70 March 2014

to an estimated 57.7 percent in 2010. This figure is theaverage between urban and rural areas, male and female,and different provinces. The rate of literacy for rural females
in 2010 was only 22.5% in Baluchistan, 20.3% in Sindh, 29%
in Khaiber Pakhtunkhwa, and 40% in Punjab.
The parents in rural areas are mostly interested insending boys to any technical workshops for earning, while
girls are made to stay home for domestic work. The reason
for not sending girls to school is that they are forced into
child marriages, and into domestic work. In terms of theconcept of public and private, girls are regarded as domestic
workers and boys as breadwinners. The patriarchal
structures do not allow girls to go to school, college oruniversity, because they have strong command over girls’
basic rights. The cases of violence are happening a lot,because women are less strong than men.
The new Pakistani government, media, civil society andthe youth are very interested in improving the overall statusof child education in the country, and different politicalparties are making proposals for increasing budgets foreducation from 2% to 7%. Now the entire Pakistani society
is showing interest in education, and parents are beginningto send their children to school even in rural areas. After a
lot of work on the ground by the government, civil society,and humanitarian organizations, girls are also starting toreceive technical and academic education across the country.
Alif Ailaan, a civil campaign, was launched in the wholecountry for the promotion of education, especially the
implementation of the Article 25-A (free and compulsory
education to all children of the age of 5 to 16 years).
The foremost benchmark must be the provision of theconstitution which ensures that every child in our country isentitled to a good education. Determined efforts are needed toovercome the following barriers to the goal; lack of awareness,lack of resources, the government’s ineptitude, corruption,
political interference, patronage towards insufficient andunqualified teachers who neglect to work, poor-quality
facilities and teachers, inequality in education (i.e. between
urban and rural areas, between males and females, andamong different provinces), the low income level of lowermiddle-class families that makes it harder for their children
to receive good education, low awareness of the people ingeneral as well as the parents in particular to education.
Therefore, it is necessary for all the children to get goodeducation
withoutanygender-based
discrimination
sothat they can playtheir parts for thedevelopment
andprosperity of thecountry.
Children at an open-air class9International Understanding Seminar

KFAW Consulate Series Special Version
What is the Apex Leadership for Women – Striving to
Demonstrate Further Performance
1. Date: October 24, 2013, 18:30 - 20:30
2. Lecturer: Ms. Yvonne R. DAVIS, President and CEO, Davis Communications
KFAW Consulate Series Special Version was co-hosted
with Consulate of the United States, Fukuoka. We invited
Ms. Yvonne R. DAVIS, President and CEO of Davis
Communications to deliver a lecture titled “What is the Apex
Leadership for Women – Striving to Demonstrate Further
Performance.” Unlike an ordinary lecture, this lecture wasactive and provided interaction with participants.
To become a leader, you need to know about yourself. To
know about yourself means not only understanding yourweak and strong points. To know about yourself, it isimportant to pay attention to yourself, rather than rely on
estimates by others, and to take an objective look at yourideas. It is necessary to see yourself objectively, as if seeing
the entire picture from a balcony. Sharing her past experience
with diets, Ms. Davis indicated that balance was very
important to anything. (To lose weight, she was once so
focused on exercise that her physical health suffered.)
Subsequently, she explained the following points
necessary to secure the best communication: 1) speaking
clearly so that the listeners will understand; 2) considering

how to communicate with others; 3) securing consistency inyour approach; 4) making appropriate follow-ups until thevery end and responding promptly; 5) always respecting
others; and 6) being sincere and honest.
She went on to speak about gender differences incommunication and strategy to demonstrate maximum
leadership at work or in an organization. Drawing many
opinions from participants, this was a very significant andinteractive seminar.

Ms. Yvonne R. DAVIS

CareerDevelopmentProgramfor
UniversityStudents
for a job.
- I’ve learned that there are various future options forworking.
- The seminar was good; the atmosphere was not too
formal but friendly.
Next fiscal year, we would like to hold such seminars at
many more universities.

Last fiscal year, KFAW formulated a career development
program for university students in Kitakyushu City. Thisfiscal year, as a model implementation, we held seminars
using the programs at Kyushu Women’s University on
September 23; at the Community Outreach Center ofKyushu International University on October 25; and at
Nishinippon Institute of Technology on October 31.
The photograph here depicts a seminar at the Community
Outreach Center of Kyushu International University. The
seminar consisted of a lecture using PowerPoint for
approximately 20 students, a group discussion regarding
men’s and women’s ways of working, and a Q&A session
between the audience and workers with different working
styles.
The comments from the students were similar to thefollowing:- The seminar made me think about how to balancechildcare and career.
- I want to make good use of this seminar when hunting

10

No.70 March 2014

●Visit Research in the Philippines● ISSN 0918-8266

environment appropriate for children. On the second day of ourstay, the organization held a welcome party for us, which provided
a good opportunity to interact with some of the girls living at
PREDA. We were impressed with their cheerful smiles.
We also visited Miriam College, which features one of Asia’s
most advanced gender research centers. At the college we attended
a briefing and interacted withstudents.
We also stayed in a slum anda village of indigenous people,
and visited an organization
supporting poor people and a fairtrade producers’ group, which
helped us research the reality of
PREDA Foundation (Olongapo City)
the Philippines.

In the 2013 global gender gap index (GGGI), the Philippines
ranked 5th out of the 136 countries surveyed (Japan ranked 105th).
Although this indicates that the Philippines is an advanced country
in terms of gender issues, the country is confronting the serious
social issue of poverty; approximately 30% of the country’s
population lives on two dollars or less a day. We visited thePhilippines (Olongapo, Metropolitan Manila) from August 28 toSeptember 8, 2013 in order to pick up information that we can apply
to the future operation of our organization.
PREDA Foundation, one of the organizations that we visited in
the Philippines, was established in 1974 by the Irish priest Shay
CULLEN in order to protect children suffering abuse, cramped injails without an appropriate reason, and exploited commerciallyand sexually. Providing legal support, counseling, therapy, andskill training, this organization helps such victims live in an

FY 2013 KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminars▼

Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) holds KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminars in order to share theresults of their research works and practices in Kitakyushu City.

 Y2013 the 1st seminar “Bangladesh’s Strategy for Regional Development F
Grameen Bank’s Social Business and Women’s Empowerment”
Date and time August 27, 2013, 18:30 - 20:00
Lecturer	CHOWDHURY Mahbubul Alam, Professor, Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies▼

Grameen Bank is renowned for its micro credit scheme that encourages women’s economic
independence by making small unsecured loans, especially to women in poverty. In the seminarit was explained that the key to the success of this business model lay in ensuring that five
borrowers (members) formed one group to support each other, and helping the borrowers fully
understand the philosophy of the mechanism by providing a training program before lending the money, and having such groups
establish a center where they could identify the situations of the other members and participate in the operation of Grameen
Bank. In short, the key to success resides in the mechanism by which members themselves participate in the bank’s operations,and by which the earnings of the bank are ultimately returned to the members.
In Bangladesh, the mechanism of Grameen Bank has enabled women in poverty to borrow money in their own names andtake action on their own. The seminar concluded with the lecturer indicating that this had raised the women’s status and rightto speak up at home, leading to an increased number of women becoming independent socially and economically.

 Y2013 the 2nd seminar “Efforts, Results, and Challenges Concerning the U.S.
F
Support for Sexual Violence Victims”
Date and time October 15, 2013, 18:30 - 20:00
Lecturer	Yumi RIKITAKE, Associate Professor, the Japanese Red Cross Kyushu International

College of Nursing; Coordinator, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center, MOVE

Ms. RIKITAKE reported on the results and future challenges revealed through visit research at
support organizations for sexual crime victims in Pennsylvania and four other states in the U.S.
In the U.S., the 2005 revision of the Violence against Women and Department of Justice
Reauthorization Act mandates public organizations to collect forensic medical evidence for sexual crime victims. As a result, forensic
nurses have begun to play a major role assisting sexual crime victims. Forensic nurses specialize in providing nursing care for sexual crime
victims and other individuals who are confronted with legal issues involving crimes and accidents. To prepare for identifying the abusers
and giving testimony in court, such nurses are empowered to collect and preserve evidence obtained through providing care to victims.
Forensic nursing science, which originated in the U.S. in the 1980s and was widely recognized as a separate nursing field in the
1990s, has not been introduced in Japan yet; the current Japanese legal system restricts nurses’ medical practice. In the U.S., forensic
nurses have gained strong respect and trust not only from victims but also from the police for providing appropriate care and collecting
reliable evidence based on their medical expertise and skills, with consideration for human rights.
However, in the U.S., which is strongly pushing forward with deregulation of employment, there is fierce competition in the medical
industry, which actually makes medical institutions somewhat hesitant to employ forensic nurses as special staff. From these examples in the
U.S., Ms. RIKITAKE concluded the lecture that in order to improve the Japanese support system for sexual violence victims, it was necessary
to introduce forensic nursing science to Japan and establish a mechanism that will ensure the effective functioning of the specialty.

For more details, please visit our website http://www.kfaw.or.jp/report/cat85-1/

Location of
Kitakyushu

KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
OTEMACHI 11-4, KOKURAKITA, KITAKYUSHU, 803-0814 JAPAN
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434 FAX＋81-93-583-5195
E-mail: kfaw@kfaw.or.jp URL: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

DalianBeijing

Seoul

Tokyo
Kitakyushu

KFAW
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) was established in October of 1990 with a special
government fund for revitalization projects. Subsequently, in 1993, the KFAW was recognized as afoundation by the Ministry of Labour (the present Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The purposeof the KFAW is to promote the improvement of women's status through various projects as well as their
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