Japanese women say they are the volcanic force most likely to rock their convention-bound society.
In general, theirs has been a quiet and slow revolution through education, with connections to Bryn Mawr since the late 1800s. But women need economic and political power to gain equal opportunity in a society where prejudices against them are centuries old and sometimes so subtle that women themselves may not recognize them. Checking for fine details for seating are Ryoko Shibuya, Yoshiko Takakuwa and Yoko Mori. Some think that most of the jobs lost, as weaker banks and securities firms fail in a more competitive market, may be those held by women it not, the reforms may be the beginning of the end for Japan s system of lifelong employment for men, one of the greatest barriers to advancement for women. As in other industrialized nations, job opportunities for women in Japan have increased as a result of urbanization, the growth of service industries, later marriages, a dropping birthrate, the development of time-saving household appliances, and the desire for additional family income.