Gender Equality Lowest in Japan among OECD Countries

Washington, March 2 (Jiji Press)--Japan has the lowest level of gender equality under the law among the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an annual report by the World Bank showed Thursday.

In the 2022 report, the Women, Business and the Law index stood at 78.8 for Japan, unchanged from the previous year. The score was on par with the Philippines and Tajikistan.

The result indicates that women in Japan enjoy less than 80 pct of the legal rights enjoyed by men.

The index is based on each country’s or region’s laws and regulations in eight areas related to women’s economic participation, including marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship and assets.

Japan scored particularly low in the areas of workplace and pay, according to the report.

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