Current Issues Series

Women Today
Redefining Gender
Equality

Chief Advisor to the Minister and Deputy
Head of Department for Gender Equality,
working for the Minister for Gender
Equality, Kingdom of Denmark

Ms. Kira APPEL

Since my earliest childhood, I have read an endlessamount of books on women’s rights, women’s liberationand the empowerment of women. I have walked thestreets shouting out to whoever could be bothered tolisten to me that women must be free and that men havebeen discriminating women since the dawn of time.
And then I became the mother of two sons! My two sonstaught me that life is not black and white and that both
women and men are caught up in a straightjacket called
gender.

an under-representation of boys and men in thehumanities. Consequently, the uneven distribution of
women and men students across disciplines andacademic curricula affect their future employability andchoices. This segregation leads to a considerable lack offemale talent in the mathematical based sciences, forinstance, information and communication technology,
and a shortage of men in caring sectors. Traditional
gender related expectations hence function as aneffective barrier for girls as well as boys in making fulluse of their competences and from living the lives theywant.

Scandinavia is often called the most gender equal
region in the world. And much has been achieved.
Through political drivers like the women’s movement
and economical drivers like the demand for women’s
participation in the labour market, women have thesame legal rights as men in Denmark today. Womenand men contribute to the economy on an equal footing.
Women are better educated than men and women areeconomically independent from their spouses. In fact, it
is generally recognized that women’s contributions tosociety are as important as men’s. In other words,
gender equality is deemed a prerequisite for economic
growth and prosperity. On top of that, Denmark has
been appointed the happiest nation in the world. This
mainly stems from the fact that there is a strong senseof coherence in society as well as a broad feeling ofjustice. Both women and men feel that they can achieve
what they desire and be judged on individual competence
rather than gender.

When I walked the streets as a youngster I calledout for women’s empowerment, but today, I call out forequal rights for both women and men! I call out for therecognition of the fact that my sons must be acknowledged
as competent fathers and care givers just as womenmust be acknowledged as competent decision makers.
Gender equality is a gift for men too. For example, by
sharing the care giving role between both parents
through the fathers’ use of paternity leave schemes, weachieve strong and happy marriages as well as strong
father-children relationships. If both women and men
are working, the responsibility of the family will beshared, and men will be relieved of the burden of being
the main breadwinner.
Gender equality is a struggle for the benefit of both
sexes. The women’s rights movement will not succeed
until we include men. In order to do so, we need toredefine and diversify the concepts of femininity andmasculinity. Stereotypes of any kind are a straightjacket
for women as well as for men. A truly equal society is a
win-win situation for the individual as well as forsociety. Equality promotes justice, opportunities andhappiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy?

Like most countries in the world, however, we still
face gender related problems like; violence in the family,
gender gaps in decision making, the pay gap as well as
gender segregation in education and in the labour
market. Why is this so? Why haven’t we achieved fullequality yet? What is the root cause of these problems?
I would like to argue that traditional gender roles are
the main challenge for the achievement of genderequality globally. Let’s use the educational system as
an example. In the EU, girls and boys are brought up to
believe that they are equal. However, culture does infact determine which path they follow because girls are
expected to perform better in humanitarian studies
and boys better in the scientific disciplines. So while
girls have better grades on average and often outnumber
boys among new university graduates, many female
students still tend to study subjects that lead to careerswith lower pay and status. It also prevents boys andmen from embracing curricula predominantly regarded
as feminine. Thus, this trend simultaneously creates

No.79 March 2017

Ms. Kira APPEL
Master of Political Science, University of Copenhagen,1996.
Since then, Appel has been employed by the Prime
Minister’s Office, Ministry for Urban Affairs and Gender
Equality, Ministry for Social Affairs and Gender Equality,
Ministry for Welfare, Ministry for Employment, Ministry for
Climate Change and Gender Equality, Ministry for Gender
Equality and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Ministry for Children,
Gender Equality, Integration and Social Affairs, Ministry
for Children, Education and Gender Equality. She iscurrently working for the Minister for Gender Equality.

1

Globalization of Gender
Inequalities:
Discussions from the
Perspectives of Foreign
Domestic Workers(Part 2)

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social
and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University

Ms. Reiko OGAWA
Prof. Reiko OGAWA assumed her current
position after working in the field of international
development in Southeast Asia. She served asa co-researcher at the National Museum of
Ethnology and as a visiting researcher at the
Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women. Her
publications include Social Issues and Policies
in Asia: Family, Ageing and Work (Co-authored,
Cambridge Scholars Publishing)According to the United Nations, 3% of the world’s
population are immigrants, among whom 48% are women.
Many women who migrate have to leave their families
behind to earn money to support their livelihood. However,
the work available to migrant women from developing
countries is limited and mostly concentrated in low-paid
feminized jobs such as domestic work, child care andelderly care.
In Asia, to supplement women’s entry into the labormarket, increasing numbers of migrant women started towork in Hong Kong , Singapore , Malaysia and Taiwan ,Province of China . In most cases , migrant domestic
workers live -in at their employer ’s home and docleaning , washing , shopping , cooking , child care andelderly care . They will also walk the dog, wash cars ,take children to and from school , accompany theelderly on hospital visits and will even clean theiremployer’s office and respond to whatever task is needed.
The jobs of domestic workers are not specified, so work can
be flexibly defined without limits.
Unlike factory work where the work is specified,domestic work takes place in the private sphere often
without labor regulations and protection of privacy, thus
becoming prone to abuse and violence. In some cases,
women’s passports are confiscated so that they will not run
away, they cannot change their employers and are burdenedwith huge debt which they have to pay back after they startworking. Considering these situations, some describe
migrant domestic work as “modern day slavery.” In Asiaand the Pacific, there are 2.3 million domestic workers andthe ILO Convention 189 calls for decent work for domestic
workers realizing the fundamental principles and rights at
work.
In Japan, the ‘Japan Revitalization Strategy’ (Revised2014) proposed the promotion of foreign personnel in orderto make Japanese women more active. One of the strategies
is to introduce migrant domestic workers in designatedNational Strategic Special Zones, such as Kanagawa,
Osaka and Tokyo. In Japan, these workers do not live-in
but establish a three-year contract with a dispatchingcompany and are sent to different households. Even though
the arrangement is to live-out, considering the deteriorationof the labor market conditions and human rights violations

affecting foreign trainees under the Technical Intern
Training Program, similar issues can be anticipated tohappen. Also, it is unclear how the cost for training andtravel will be shouldered among different stake-holders.
Migrant domestic workers are supposed to receive thesame amount of salary as Japanese but already somecompanies are negotiating to decrease the price in order toexpand the market. This might be welcomed by the lesswell-off households which are in need of assistance. But weneed to think about the larger context as the retrenchmentof social expenditure and opening up the domestic/carelabour market is happening simultaneously. In societies
where there is no public policy to support child care orelderly care, the only solution is to privately employ migrant
domestic/care workers who are cheap but not well-trained
thus resulting in many accidents. If domestic/care work
becomes a work of migrant workers, Japanese workers willshun this work and it will become not just gendered but
racialised. Also, using the presence of migrant workers as
a reason to reduce public services will exclude low-income
households such as single mothers from the system. This
neglects the role of the state as well as the men, and thewomen are forced into a conflicting position over domestic/care work.
If both men and women are to actively participate insociety, an infrastructure to support domestic/care work isnecessary. There are two ways to achieve this goal. One isto develop the public provisions for child and elderly care,amend the long working hours and share domestic/carework equally between women and men. The other is tomaintain the long working hours and gendered division oflabor at home and outsource domestic/care work to themarket. The former aims towards more gender equality
while the latter maintains gender inequality.
If there is no respect for the human rights of migrants,
the migrants cannot provide quality care. We should aim
for a society that is fair and just for both Japanese andforeigners alike by confirming the right to living standards
stated in the Article 25 of the Japanese Constitution andthe principle of gender equality and find a way to live
together with our neighbors in Asia.

2

No.79 March 2017

27

The

th

Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women

Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles covers eightpriority areas, including empowerment of All People.

Date & time: Saturday, November 26, 2016, 13:00 – 16:00
Venue: Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center MOVE, Large Seminar Room, 5th Floor

Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Efforts in Promoting
Women’s Active Participation in Society

The conference was held under the theme: “No one will be left behind” – What
Can We Do to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the keynote
speech, Ms. Yoko HAYASHI, Lawyer and the first Japanese Chairperson of the UN
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee),highlighted the role of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Gender Mainstreaming Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, delivered
speech on the efforts made by the Ministry.
At the panel discussion, how to accomplish the SDGs at the local and global
level was discussed based on the presentations from Kitakyushu City, Asia and theglobal perspectives.

▲

Keynote Speech

include the existence of a national human-rights organizations,the introduction of a quota system for women’s politicalparticipation, the establishment of laws to ensure equal pay
for work of equal value, and the prohibition of so-called childmarriage, i.e. marriage of children under 18.

Ms. Yoko HAYASHI(Lawyer, Chairperson of the U.N. Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women)

The Committee on the Eliminationof Discrimination against Womenand Japan

No one will be left behind“No one will be left behind” is the spirit of the SDGs. I
think the spirit provides us a great opportunity to review andeliminate the gender-based discrimination, which is foundeven in the judicial fields in Japan. Although therecommendations to the Japanese Government by theCommittee might not be sufficient to change the persistentgender inequality in Japan, the implementation of the SDGs isa good start to make a change.
Furthermore, the SDGs clearly demonstrated theinterconnectivity of the three fundamental purposes of theUN; namely, respect for human rights, economic development,
and peace and security. They are the international humanrights agreements, including the CEDAW. Regarding theimplementation of the SDGs, a review process has alreadystarted and Japan will conduct the national voluntary review
next year. Taking advantage of this opportunity, NGOs,
NPOs, and women’s organizations should express their keeninterest and actively participate in it.

Mr. Tomohide NAKAMURA(Assistant Manager, Central Children’s Counseling & Guidance Center,Child and Domestic Affairs Bureau, Kitakyushu City)

Sustainable Development and Approach to Poverty
and Abuse of Children and WomenChildren suffering abuse or poverty are losing theirexperience, human relationships, sense of self-esteem, etc. A
lack of self-esteem is what we think most serious problem.
When children suffer violence from their parents, whose love
they need the most, the sense of acceptance of themselves as
they are, is completely shattered.
We provide two pillars of support: ensuring space andproviding study support. We strive to prevent them fromisolation by freeing them from abusive relationships andhelping to reestablish human relationships with the
involvement of their school, community, and so on.
When providing study support, we work closely not onlywith the public sector, but also with non-profit organizations.
I believe that a guidance, such as support for passing entrance
examinations for high school, is especially necessary to
prevent the reoccurrence of poverty and abuse.
I feel that condemning abusive parents is inadequate.
What is necessary is to provide support to both parents andtheir children and to continue such support from a multi-angle
perspective over an extended period of time.
Mothers are often seen as abusers. However, they are notthe only one who to be blamed. The fundamental problem isthat the parenting responsibilities are often concentrated
solely to mother and fathers may leave the family without
taking responsibility for their children. Considering thisunfair share of family responsibilities, I think that support formothers is necessary.
Although poverty and abuse are invisible in Japan, it isimportant not to leave any one behind. If you notice any child
who may needs attention, please do not hesitate to contact us.
As there are some cases that show improvement through themulti-sectoral collaboration, I will continue working
tenaciously to eliminate poverty and child abuse.

Panel Discussion<Panelists>- Ms. Yoko HAYASHI(Lawyer and Chairperson of the U.N. Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women)- Ms. Kyoko HOKUGO(Director, Gender Mainstreaming Division, Foreign Policy
Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)- Ms. Koh MIYAOI(Gender Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP))- Mr. Tomohide NAKAMURA(Assistant Manager, Central Children’s Counseling & GuidanceCenter, Child and Domestic Affairs Bureau, Kitakyushu City)<Coordinator>- Mitsuko HORIUCHI▲

Honorable Guest(President, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW）)

Ms. Kyoko HOKUGO
of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

The Japanese Government’s Efforts in Promoting
the SDGs
Japan made active contributions to the establishment ofSDGs by, for example, leading international dialogue
opportunities even before discussions began at the UN. In thedays of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Japanwas in a position of providing supports for other countries. The
SDGs, however, have to cover domestic issues and theGovernment of Japan has established a Cabinet body, theSDGs Promotion Headquarters, headed by the Prime Ministerand composed of all ministers on May 20, 2016, in order toensure a whole-of-government approach to implementing the2030 Agenda in a comprehensive and effective manner.
Presently, the Headquarters is drafting the Implementation

The Committee together with the UN Women establishedthe UN-Women/SDGs Working Group, which createsindicators with special focus on the Goal 5 ”Achieve genderequality and empower all women and girls”. The Working
Group is currently discussing to generate indicators that3

Panelist Presentation 1▲(Director, Gender Mainstreaming Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry

The Committee and the SDGs

No.79 March 2017

Panelist Presentation 2▲

The CEDAW, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in
1979, is one of the nine major international agreements toprotect human rights. They are: International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Convention on the
Rights of the Child; International Convention on the Protectionof the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their
Families; Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities; and Convention for the Protection of All Persons
from Enforced Disappearances.
Japan signed the CEDAW in 1980 in Copenhagen andratified it in 1985. Although it has been more than 30 years
since then, discrimination against women still persists evenin the law. Actually, no country in the world has yet realized
full gender equality both in terms of law and in reality, andJapan is no exception.
Recently, the Committee has recommended Japan tofollow up two issues. One of the issues is amending the Civil
Code, specifically revising articles on the requirement of
having the same surnames for married couples; abolishing
any waiting period for women to remarry upon divorce; andraising the legal minimum age of marriage for women to 18
years to be equal to that of men. The other issue is to prohibit
sexist speech and propaganda advocating racial superiority or
hatred against minority women and to establish an
independent expert body to monitor them.

There are several key policies to promote gender equality
in Japan. They are the “Plan for Promoting Dynamic
Engagement of All Citizens,” the “Fourth Basic Plan for
Gender Equality,” and the “Act on Promotion of Women’sParticipation and Advancement in the Workplace”.
One of the measures undertaken by the Ministry ofForeign Affairs to promote gender equality and women’s
active participation in society was seen at the “G7 Japan 2016
Ise-Shima Summit.” As the Presidency, Japan led thediscussion on the implementation of the SDGs and showed its
commitment to the “G7 Guiding Principles for Capacity
Building of Women and Girls,” in which promoting women’scapacity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) careers and fostering female leadership in mediation,
peacebuilding, preventing conflicts and creating a safe andpeaceful society were emphasized. Japan succeeded togenerate these concrete results.
In addition, we will organize the third World Assembly for
Women (WAW)! in December this year. This conference willserve as a platform for the discussion to realize a society inwhich women shine and can demonstrate their capacities tothe fullest extent possible.

▲

against Women (CEDAW) in order to achieve the SDGs.
Following the keynote speech, honorable guest, Ms. Kyoko HOKUGO, Director,

The data is useful not only for monitoring, but also for
identifying those who are or likely to be left behind, as well as
for presenting the effectiveness of solutions with numericalfigures. An important point is that policies should beformulated based on such collected data.
The UNDP served as the leader during the days of the
MDGs. In the present days of the SDGs, however, we
recognized the cooperation among various UN organizations
is essential. We also found attitudinal and behavioral changes
are indispensable for transforming the world for theachievement of SDGs.

Ms. Koh MIYAOI(Gender Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP))

The SDGs and Gender Equality: UNDP’s Approach“Sustainable Development,” “Democratic Governance andPeace Building and Resilience-building,” are the three priority
areas in the UNDP’s Strategic Plan.
The SDGs are closely connected with these three areas.
Although the SDGs consist of 17 goals, what we need to do is
not to tackle each of the goals separately, but to take anapproach that embraces multiple goals inclusively. The SDGs
require us to make fundamental changes in our approaches.
At present, the UNDP provides support for the compilationof existing data because a wide variety of data is necessary inorder to achieve the SDGs.

At the panel discussion

4

No.79 March 2017

KFAW Study Tour

Developing Overseas Network – Hanoi Study Tour 2016
We held the Hanoi Study Tour 2016, which drew 11 female participants, including representatives from women’s organizations in
Kitakyushu City.
KFAW strives to establish a permanent network involving overseas gender-related organizations and other bodies, in order tofoster understanding of gender issues in Asia and the rest of the world. As part of this effort, since 2013, we have been interactingwith the Hanoi Women’s Union. Thanks to cooperation from the Union, we held the study tour and participants visited the Union, achildcare center, and ordinary families. They mainly learned about the daily lives of Vietnamese people, who divided their roles in theirlarge families when taking care of their children and senior members.
Main Schedule

three-year-olds were enjoying hand play in the hallway
together with childcare workers.
Established in 2003, Son Ka Childcare Center is anational institute with 60 childcare workers and 670 children
aged from two to six. The facility is similar to a certified
childcare center in Japan. The children of the facility are
divided into three categories (two- and three-year-olds, threeand four-year-olds, and five- and six-year-olds). Consisting of
70 children, each class is handled by four childcare workers.
The facility is open to all children living in eligible areas;
there are no restrictions as to enrollment, such as theirparents’ working conditions. Many of the staff members
working at the facility are young, and have two qualifications:childcare worker and kindergarten teacher. The qualification
system of Vietnam is almost the same as that of Japan.
We were impressed that 70 children in a class were
getting along well together in the same room without any
conflict, even when hitting one another on the hand or theleg. It seems that if brought up in large families, children get
used to living with others, leading them to become gentler
towards other children.

Visit to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum
September 7 (Wed.) Visit to a childcare center
Visit to the Hanoi Women’s Union
September 8 (Thu.) Sightseeing in Hanoi
Visit to ordinary families
September 9 (Fri.)
Visit to the TOTO Vietnam Plant
September 6 (Tue.)

Vietnamese Women’s Museum���������������������������������������������

Learning about the History ofVietnamese Women

Established in 1987 by the Vietnam Women’s Union, theVietnamese Women’s Museum features women as its main
theme. The facility displays exhibitions in the following
three fields: Women in Family, Women in History, and
Women’s Fashion.
Vietnam is home to a total of 54 ethnic groups, namely
the Kinh people and 53 ethnic minorities, each of whichboasts its own language and culture. Even today, theseminority groups speak both their own languages andVietnamese as the common language. In the countryside,
there still remain cultures and practices distinctive to eachethnic minority. We visited the museum and observed tools
and other items that indicated the energy of the daily lives of
the Vietnamese, such as flamboyant ceremonial costumes,
and colanders for storing rice. Of particular note were
exhibits detailing the fact that during the wars of the past,
women had significantly contributed to ensuring materials
and funding, and had played an active role at the front line ofguerilla warfare. Although the museum focused on women,
we learned a great deal about Vietnamese culture andhistory in general.

and dinner together. The family employs one maid, whodoes the household chores and takes care of the oldest
member of the household, a 90-year-old great-grandmotherwith weak legs.
Mr. C said that the important thing for people was toincrease the size of their families. He continued that even if
assets were increased, they were not valuable, and familyties were the most precious treasure. In the center of thewall in one of the rooms there was a large photograph of his
66 relatives who had gathered to celebrate the lunar New
Year. Mr. C’s mother was the center of the photograph. He
proudly showed the photograph to us.
In addition, Mr. C truly treasured his mother andancestors. He said that as the oldest son, he took it for
granted that he took care of his mother and paid his
respects to his ancestors, and that this attitude would behanded down to his son. His remarks gave a glimpse of theextent to which Vietnamese people treasured their families.

Learning about the Daily Lives ofPeople in Vietnam

We co-organized a program to learn about Vietnamesefamilies and lifestyles with the Hanoi Women’s Union.
Divided into three groups, we visited three ordinary families
living in the Hoan Kiem District in the Old Quarter, thedowntown area of Hanoi City.

Family AConsisting of Nine Members in Four Generations
Boasting a history of 80 years over six generations,
Family A has their own precepts of “Make Our Large
Family Happy” and “Treasure Our Children andGrandchildren.” These precepts are written and displayedin one of their rooms. Mr. and Mrs. A used to work as apainter and a civil servant respectively, and now both ofthem live off their pensions. Mr. A takes their nine-year-old
granddaughter to school and also picks her up. All of thefamily members do what they can do to help out, and sucha division of roles seems to be the key to their happy lives.

Visit to Family C

While receiving
warm hospitality atthese Vietnamesefamilies, we asked
abouthouseholdchores, enabling us
to learn about thedivision of roles for
On a street in the Old Quarterhousehold chores in
the large families and about cooperation in their daily lives.
Thanks to this cooperation, Vietnamese women can workoutside the home without any worries. Also, since all family
members, including the grandparents, are committed tolooking after the children, both parents can work outside thehome without any worries.
In terms of eating habits, it is common to eat breakfast
outside, as a family at a stall or in a small restaurant. This isa good example of efficiently saving time for household chores
before leaving for work.
Even in the Old Quarter, the downtown area of Hanoi
City, there are many women peddling goods in conical hatscalled non la, or managing small shops in front of houses.
Some of us said that the view was similar to the one frequently
observed in Japan during the decade from 1955. As indicatedby the average age of Vietnamese being 27, there are many
young people in Vietnam, a country currently enjoying rapid
economic growth. In this country, we directly observed thepowerful energy of women working here and there in thestreets. This interaction project served as a good opportunity
to learn about the Vietnamese people’s attitude towards theirfamilies, which has been handed down from generation to
generation, as well as about the Vietnamese lifestyle andculture.

Visit to Family A

Family B
The Hanoi Women’s Union����������������������������������������������������������

Exchanging Information with
the Hanoi Women’s Union
Since 2013, the KFAW has been interacting with the
Hanoi Women’s Union. Last year, three executive members
from the Union visited Japan to promote mutual
understanding with the KFAW by exchanging information
with women’s organizations based in Kitakyushu City andvisiting various places in the city.
This year, we visited the Hanoi Women’s Union, and werewelcomed by President Nguyen Thi Thu Ha of the Union,
who said “Our visit to Kitakyushu City last year served as agood opportunity for us to interact with women in Japan andto learn about various aspects of Japan. It is our great
pleasure to have such an interaction, which helps both of us
understand each other’s lifestyles. We hope that ourinteraction will lead to the development of women in bothcountries.” We asked questions from a woman’s perspective
regardingVietnamesefamilies and lifestyles,
which enabled us to learn
about the working styles ofVietnamese women andthe country’s child-careleave system.
Exchanging information with membersChildcare Center�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Learning about Childcare in Vietnam

We visited Son Ka Childcare Center. After viewing awelcome dance performance by many children and childcare
workers, we observed different classes. Children in a classfor five- and six-year-olds were making rice cakes as offerings
to the mid-autumn fullmoon, while those in aclass for three- andfour-year-olds
wereplayingagame
involving moving theirlegs, and those in aCollective photograph taken at theclass for two- andchildcare center

No.79 March 2017

Vietnamese Households������������������������������������������������������������������

Consisting of Eight Members in Four generations
Family B purchases food ingredients at a market every
day only in the necessary quantity. This is typical in Hanoi,
but according to them, an increasing number of families
today shop at large supermarkets and store the food theybuy.
Family B taught us the four virtues for Vietnamese
women to follow in order to become what they should be: 1)
work hard; 2) maintain their beauty; 3) speak politely; and4) protect morals and act fairly. These virtues suggest how
hard Vietnamese women work for their families, including
their commitment to household chores and contribution to
the family budget.

Visit to Family B

Family C
Consisting of Eight Members in Four generations, plus One Housemaid
In Family C, all eight family members have breakfastof the Hanoi Women’s Union

5

6

No.79 March 2017

KFAW Study TourMr. Hitoshi KONNO

Chairman of the Katahira United
Neighborhood Association

Ms. Sumie KANNO

Sendai Study Tour 2016
From Wednesday, December 14 to Friday, December 16, 2016, KFAW held a Study Tour to Sendai. In this tour, 15 persons
including citizens and government officials engaged in community development and disaster risk reduction in Kitakyushu City, visited
Sendai City in order to learn about the disaster-stricken city’s experiences from the perspective of gender equality. In addition, we
held a follow-up study and report session in order to ensure that the experiences obtained through the study tour are reflected in awide variety of community efforts.
Main Schedule

December Visit to L･Park Sendai
14 (Wed.)(Lectures from Mr. Konno in Katahira, and Ms. Kato, Director of L･Park Sendai)
December Visit to Iwakiri (Lectures from Ms.Kanno)
15 (Thu.)
Visit to Tagonishi (Lectures from Mr. Sato)	Visit to disaster-related facilities (Fukudamachi-Minami
1-Chome Park (Temporary Housing, Home-for-All), the Sendai
3/11 Memorial Community Center, the damaged Arahama
Elementary School building, sea embankment (from the window),
the Commemorative Monument of Nakano District, Hiyoriyama)
Visit to Kirin Beer Sendai Plant (Lectures from Mr. Yoshida,
Manager, and plant tour)
December Visit to L･Sola Sendai
16 (Fri.)	(Lectures from Ms. Munakata, Representative Director of NPO Equal Net
Sendai, and lectures from Mr. Takahashi, Director of Disaster-Resilientand Environmentally-Friendly City Promotion Office, Sendai City)One year before the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ms.
Kannno and her friends had formulated the Disaster Risk
Reduction Declaration for Women in Iwakiri. Thanks to this,when the disaster occurred, she was able to rush to an
evacuation center together with her friends to support thevictims. However, because she did not have sufficientknowledge or judgment as a leader, many people were mentally
hurt. Afterward, she participated in a program for fostering
female leaders for disaster risk reduction and continued herefforts as a leader. As a result, she has now been recognized asa leader by community members. Currently, as a Leader ofCommunity Disaster Risk Reduction Efforts in Sendai City,
she is engaged in awareness programs for disaster risk
reduction and disaster management, and provides instructions
at evacuation centers, in the hope that children will be proudof being able to do something for their communities.

On Hiyoriyama

variety of community needs when operating an evacuation
center. Currently, they are dedicated to fostering female
leaders who can listen to a wide variety of people anddemonstrate leadership.
We finally listened to a staff of the Kirin Beer Sendai
Plant and Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly
City Promotion Office of Sendai City about what they had
done at the time of the disaster, what their situation had
been like in those days, and what they were currently doing
to assist restoration efforts.
It is said that citizens of Kitakyushu, a city less prone toearthquakes, are not sufficiently aware of such disasters.
We, however, need to protect our lives on our own. The study
tour made us keenly realize that we needed to push forwardwith community development based on lessons from theexperiences of the affected areas, in order to protect ourselves
and our beloved ones from disasters that could occur in the
future. We also visited disaster memorial facilities to pray
for the repose of the souls of the victims, and felt once againthat we must never forget the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In this tour, we learned about the experiences of local
residents and staff working for an NPO, the city government,
and a company. All of them are currently engaged in disasterrisk prevention, reduction and restoration in Sendai City. To
learn about community efforts to prevent and reduce disasterrisks and to be implemented at the time of a disaster, we first
listened to the following three people: Mr. Hitoshi KONNO
in Katahira, a typical urban disaster area with many
stranded commuters and foreign victims at the time of theGreat East Japan Earthquake; Ms. Sumie KANNO, who had
formulated the Disaster Risk Reduction Declaration for
Women in Iwakiri together with her friends before thedisaster, and is currently playing an active role as a leader ofCommunity Disaster Risk Reduction Efforts in Sendai City;and Mr. Masanobu SATO, who had lived in Nakano which
had been severely damaged by the tsumami, and was forced
to stay in an evacuation center and then in a temporary
house for a long time after the disaster, and who is currently
engaged in new community development while living in a
restoration support house. Through the lectures from thethree, we learned that although each community had its own
characteristics, leadership and community ties were truly
needed at the time of the disaster. There is nothing you can
do in an emergency if you cannot do it at an ordinary time.
All three are aware of the wide variety of problems at all
times, and greatly value the ties with their fellow community
members. We feel that this is why they were able to act
positively even in the face of many difficulties.
Moreover, to learn about the perspective of genderequality in terms of community efforts to be made to reduce
disaster risks and to be implemented at the time of a disaster,
we also listened to Director Shioko KATO of L･Park Sendai
and Representative Director Emiko MUNAKATA of the
NPO Equal Net Sendai. Both of them provided active support
for women at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
They said that it was important for women to participate in
the decision-making process in order to identify a wide

No.79 March 2017

Positioning disaster risk reduction as one of its main themes
for community development, Mr. Konno’s neighborhood association
had already established the necessary organizations and had
engaged in various discussions. Accordingly, on the day after thedisaster, the association was able to launch a committee to handle
a wide variety of problems related to the disaster. However, there
was one thing that they had not expected – responding to stranded
commuters. The association dealt with this problem, which ispeculiar to urban disaster areas, through the community’s strong
ties. Currently, the association implements disaster drills
incorporating HUG (hinanjo unei game, meaning “evacuation
center operation” game), Sendai Sonae Game (preparation gamecreated in Sendai), and other fun events involving foreign
residents. In addition, the association involves local students andinternational students even in the planning phase, and reinforces
cooperation with apartment residents.

Leader of Community Disaster Risk
Reduction Efforts in Sendai City, andManager of the Committee for
Preparing the Disaster Risk Reduction
Declaration for Women in Iwakiri

Feedback from Participants◦Visiting the areas stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake and listening tomany residents affected by the disaster made me recognize anew that we should
never forget about this catastrophe. At the same time, I strongly felt that we needto put this experience to full use in Kitakyushu.
◦I could sense the firm determination of people in Sendai to protect their lives on
their own.
◦Among the lessons I learned from this study tour, I would like to put in practicewhat are readily applicable to my daily life .
◦I would like to make an opportunity to share the knowledge I gained in thedisaster areas and consult with people in my community as to how safe our local
evacuation centers are and in what way they should be managed.
◦I keenly felt that, in order to exercise leadership in times of disaster, womenshould develop capacities to take prompt actions and make proper judgements.
◦Unlike media coverage such as in newspapers and on television, there was acertain dignity in what quake victims told us in person. I hope that many otherpeople in Kitakyushu will have similar opportunities to get firsthand accounts
from them.

7

Mr. Masanobu SATO

Member of the Project for Speaking about the Disasteralong the Sendai Coast in the Great East Japan Earthquake
to Hand Down the Experience for the Next Generation, andFormer Chairman of the Takasago 1-Chome Koen
Temporary Housing Neighborhood Association

Ms. Emiko MUNAKATA

Representative Director of NPO
Equal Net Sendai

Even before the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ms.
Munakata’s NPO had conducted research on female needs
at the time of a disaster. After the disaster, the NPO
provided necessary support for women, such as doing thelaundry for them on a voluntary basis and holding events
for women to meet and talk. Considering it as a serious
problem that the leaders of almost all the evacuation centerswere men and thus women’s requests were seldom reflected,
the NPO launched a program for fostering female leaders
for disaster risk reduction, and supported 100 female
leaders over three years. Currently, the network of female
leaders is spreading not only throughout Sendai City but
also through other areas affected by the disaster.

Almost everything in the area where Mr. Sato lived waswashed away by the tsunami. In his evacuation center,
there was no place to lie down and rest. He was very busy
every day confirming the safety of local residents. After
temporary housing was finally established, neighbors began
to frequently call each other in their daily lives. The area
where he used to live has been designated as a disasterprone area. Even after being relocated to a new home, Mr.
Sato remained unsure about how his life would go on, andalmost all his former neighbors began to live in separate
localities. Today, however, they have organized Nakano
Hometown School to hand down details of their former daily
lives to the next generation, for example by making
dioramas.

8No.79 March 2017

■ Foreign Correspondents’ Report
ProfileBringing About a Change Collectively

I am a Delhi based independent journalist for over 15
years, focusing on research-based articles ondevelopment issues and the role of women as agents ofsocial change. In my writings, I have focused on India's
development policy and its impact on people, women inparticular.

Ms. Swapna MAJUMDAR (India)
Over 400 women from the backward and marginalisedcommunities have joined hands to ensure their village
council in Jhansi district in the Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh remain free of alcohol shops for the last four years.

was very crucial as I was raising my voice against myhusband’s shop,” said Nandini.
“Thanks to the awareness training given to us, we havelearnt how to demand our rights. We realised that if weresorted to violence, it would result in more violence. If wewent to the police then it would be within the law,” said
Meera, also the president of the village organisation.

This is no mean feat considering women here were rarely
seen or heard outside their houses. It was only in 2008 thatmany women in Khajaraha Bujurg village council first
stepped out to form self-help groups (SHGs) with the help of
the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana (RGMVP), a
non-profit institution working to empower women andalleviate poverty in the state. As the confidence of these
women grew, so did the number of SHGs which increased
from one to 40 in a span of four years, each with a membershipof 10-15 women. In 2012, emboldened by the new-foundawareness of their rights and success in pulling out theirfamilies from extreme poverty, these groups decided to taketheir biggest problem—alcoholism— head on.

Such was their fervour that the police were forced tocome the following day and closed down the shops.
The next few days were filled with tension with some
women, including Meera, receiving threats. But the women
had a plan ready. Having seen the power of collective action,a group of 50 women sat cheek to jowl in a tractor to meetthe district magistrate. Although they had no priorappointment, they were able to meet him and get his
assurance.

“Alcoholism was a serious problem. During group
discussions, we heard that some members’ jewellery wassold by their husbands to buy alcohol. Even when we went to
our SHG meetings, we used to see men drinking on theroadside. They would taunt us, and it became a security risk
as well. So we decided to put an end to it. This meant closing
down the four alcohol shops in our village council,” said
Meera, the president of Devi Mata SHG.

However, the women did not stop there. They knew thatin order to ensure their village council remained free ofalcohol shops, they needed to reach out to rehabilitate themen who had been running them. The wives were given
loans from their SHGs to allow their husbands to start
afresh. “I received Rs 5,000 and my husband used it to starta small shop. Today, it is our main source of livelihood. It
has allowed us to send our two children to a private school.
We are very happy that he does not have to open an alcohol
shop ever again,” said Nandini.

Interestingly, the biggest supporters of this decisionwere the wives and mothers of the men who ran the liquor
shops. According to Nandini, she had tried to persuade herhusband to close down the shop but he didn’t agree. “I am a
SHG member and like the other women, I too wanted theshop to close, even it meant going against my husband. I also
got the support of my mother-in-law. She is also a member of
my SHG,” said Nandini.

As a passionate young legal professional, I attempt toinspire my peers and elders to change what they canchange, in a positive manner. Outside of work, I volunteer mytime as a mentor and have participated in service trips bothin Hong Kong, and the mountainous regions of mainland
China and Thailand, as well as assumed leadership positions
in women and youth groups in the legal and local community.

Ms. Amelia LO (Hong Kong)
Education is an interesting area which highlights thedifference between gender stereotypes. An interestingquestion is whether we are shaping the lives of boys andgirls by the way we treat them, and the things we teachthem.

study1 on 2,437 students from 140 Hong Kong schools, boys
and girls shared similar scientific marks, although boys
scored higher than girls at the higher percentiles. Thus, it isclear that boys and girls, when educated with a similar
curriculum, can both do well in the sciences. Unfortunately,
in today’s society in Hong Kong, there is still a belief that“women aren’t as good in mathematics as men”. This maylead parents to have lower expectations for their daughters,
while daughters to believe that they cannot do well inmathematics, and subsequently less girls to study
mathematics or sciences, as a form of “self-fulfilling
prophecy”.

Anatomically, boys and girls are different, and there arealso noticeable physical and psychological differences
between boys and girls. However, many of those differences
are psychological, rather than physical, and are obtained
during the process of socialization, rather than by birth.
Since childhood, Chinese parents often treat boys andgirls differently. Boys are often given masculine toys, andasked to play with guns and cars, while girls are often given
toys such as dolls and kitchen utensils. This is in accordancewith the roles boys and girls are expected to play in theworld. When girls attempt to wear superhero costumes
during Halloween, they are often met with a frown, and aretold to dress up as a princess or a witch instead. Boys areoften not allowed to play with dolls, nor paint their nails, or
cry openly once they reach a certain age.

Margaret Thatcher once said. “Watch your thoughts, forthey will become actions. Watch your actions, for they will
become habits. Watch your habits, for they will forge yourcharacter. Watch your character, for it will make yourdestiny.”
It is time indeed to examine our beliefs and expectationsof how boys and girls should behave, as they determine ourtreatment of young boys and girls, and it is normalinteraction through families, schools and society that shapes
the lives of these individuals. Perhaps it is with the changing
of our views on gender that we can allow young boys andgirls to become who they want to be, rather than who they
are supposed to be!

Appearance-wise, boys are expected to like blue, notpink. While girls are expected to like pink, not blue. Girlsare expected to use cosmetics as they grow up, and due tonegative influences from the mass media in which a girl’sworth is determined largely by her appearance, many girls
are obsessed about their weight. Many students in Hong
Kong are affected, including those as young as in primaryand secondary school, calling themselves fat, and skipping
breakfast or lunch. According to a Hong Kong filmmakerNicola Fan, there were many, many voices around [her]telling how to be a girl, and I am sure these sentiments areshared by many.

1 http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~hkpisa/output/files/Yip_Chiu_Ho_2004_
Gender_Sci.pdf

During the secondary school, girls often learn home
economics, a subject that has been found in the curriculumfor nearly 50 years, and learn skills such as sewing, cooking
and dishwashing. Education is meant to prepare us for the
future, so if only girls know how to cook, would they be
expected to be the ones heavily showered with housework in
the future? Fortunately, after the Hong Kong Equal
Opportunities Commission carried out a 1999 survey,
nowadays home economics is no longer a female-only subject,and is often also offered as an option to boys in co-ed schools,
which is gratifying as it shows that gender stereotypes are
shifting and are becoming more positive.

However, they knew that it would be difficult for their
SHG to do it alone. So a meeting of their village organisation,
comprising these 40 SHGs, was called and a decision to close
down the shops was endorsed by over 400 women who
attended.
The men were approached and requested to close down
their shops. When this didn’t work, a representative group of
40 women walked 12 km to the nearest police station tolodge a complaint and demanded the shops be closed down.
This was followed up by a public rally by the womencollectives the next day as a part of their anti-alcohol
campaign.
“We also demonstrated in front of the police station. I
also participated along with my mother-in-law. Her support

No.79 March 2017

ProfileChildren’s Education and FamilyLifestyle in My Country

Women have joined hands to fight the menace of alcoholism.

9

So what is the basis for these stereotypes, rather thanhistory and prejudices, and do these stereotypes actually
represent the truth? For instance, it is often presumed thatboys are better than girls in science. In fact, according to a

A girl encouraged to dress up as a gentle princess during Halloween

10

No.79 March 2017

Report on FY 2016 KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminars
Future of Aging Asia – Senior Citizens andWomen as Human Resources

ISSN
ISSN
0918-82660918-8266

What is a Family Tie? – Consider the Question
ISSN 0918-8266
through Comparison between Japan and Indonesia–
ISSN 0918-8266

Date & time
Lecturer

Friday, September 21, 2016, 13:00 – 15:00
Takeo OGAWA (Project researcher at the Fukuoka

Date & time
Lecturer

Sunday, October 23, 2016, 10:00 – 12:00
Kyoko HIKITA (Associate professor at Kagoshima

Participants

Asian Urban Research Center)
31

Participants

Prefectural College)
22

The advancement of the aging society is found not only in

Today, with the diversification in family forms, there aredeveloped countries, but also in Asian countries that maintain astrong image of having young average populations. According topopulation projections by the U.N., it is expected that the population
aging rate will exceed 30% in Korea and 20% in China in 2040.
Without changing the current systems and values, it will one

growing calls for revising family law, including the introduction ofan optional two-surname system for married couples. On the other
hand, the idea has been firmly established that members of thesame family should use the same surname in order to retain theirunity as a family. The Supreme Court held the current same-

day be impossible to continue to support society in these countries. It
is necessary to create totally new social systems that will enable all
citizens regardless of age and gender to fully develop their potential.
While incorporating the perspective of gender equality, thelecturer and participants considered the contribution of seniorsurname system constitutional.
A similar discussion is found in Indonesia as well. While some arecalling for marriages between those with different religious beliefs tobe permitted, others have the opposing view of the family that it isideal for members of the same family to embrace the same religion.

citizens to invigorating
communities, the creation

Indicating the conflict in Indonesia between the calls for family diversity
and calls for the existing family form toof new business models in
aging society, the potentialof the Japanese-version of
CCRC, and other themes,
beyond generations.

be maintained, the lecturer concluded
by encouraging the participants toengage in a deeper discussion on the
two-surname system for married
couples from diverse perspectives.

Report on Career Development for High School Students
Career Development Program for Jiyugaoka
High School Students

Career Development Seminar“What You Would Like to Be”

Date & time Saturday, September 17, 2016, 8:55 – 10:45
Audio-visual classroom, Jiyugaoka High School
Venue
Lecturers 	Koichi MATSUMOTO (Associate Professor, Kyushu
International University)
Naosuke YAMAWAKI (Lecturer, Kyushu Kyoritsu
University and other educational institutes)

Saturday, November 12, 2016, 17:45 – 20:00
Yahatanishi General Lifelong Learning GeneralCenter, Conference Room 204
Lecturers 	Lecture & workshop: Kazuhiro MANABE (Professor,
University of Kitakyushu)
	Kunitaka KANEHIRO
Talk live(Representative, Kitakyuman Project)Miho KASAI(Newscaster with News Bridge Kitakyushu, NHK)
Participants 	4 8 high school students (selected from among
applicants solicited from the pubic)

Panelists with professional careers
Momoyo HASHIMOTO, Hiroto YATSUDA, and Shiori WATANABE
Participants 	200 third-year students of Jiyugaoka High School
Preparing a career development program, KFAW holds on-siteclasses. In this fiscal year, we held a lecture using the program atJiyugaoka High School, and a talk session featuring young working
adults as role models.
The lecture was designed for high school students to consider
what working meant and what social problems were. This wasfollowed by the talk session featuring three working adults, whospoke about their former campus lives, current jobs, and otherspecific themes. The high school students asked many questions on
entrance examinations, studying
abroad, having a good balance
between club activities and studying,
dating, etc., making the atmosphereat the venue even more exciting.

Location
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Kitakyushu
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Place. Through a lecture, a live talk session and a workshop, highschool participants considered their studies and their future
careers.
It is said that 80% of the events in one’s life are determined bycoincidence. It is, however, up to you whether
you can take advantage of such coincidencesor not. The key lies in continuing to find what
you would like to do. The lecturers encouraged
the high school students to give it a try basedon a recognition of what they liked without
fear of failure.

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