Why Less than Half of Japanese Women Want to be Promoted

Gender and Sex Work Economy Mar 28, 2022

A recent survey of women in managerial positions in Japan has highlighted a lack of interest in career advancement. In Japan, gender roles in employment are strongly ingrained, and marriage and childbirth have a significant influence over women’s attitude to work.

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A survey of 1,065 women in managerial positions by recruitment company Adecco Group Japan found that a mere 11.9% of those surveyed had actually asked to be promoted, while only 48.6% were interested in receiving further promotions.

By far the most common reason for not wanting to be promoted was additional stress at 56.5%, followed by satisfaction with current position at 41.5%, then feeling unsuited at 40.0%.

Meanwhile, when those who said they did want to be promoted were asked why, 47.9% said they wanted to earn more, 36.5% said they wanted to make it easier for women at their workplace to realize their potential, and 31.9% said they wanted more authority.

When asked what needed to be done to increase the number of women in management, the most common response at 43.8% was “help women balance work with caring for children/elderly relatives,” followed by “change managerial duties and ways of working” at 35.1%, and then “boost understanding of female managers’ circumstances” at 34.6%.

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