Sanae Takaichi’s election as Japan’s first female PM spotlights steep gender inequality

Persistently low-ranking for Japan in global gender equality indices

On Tuesday, Sanae Takaichi was elected as Japan’s first female Prime Minister, a historic moment for Japan that highlights extreme gender inequality in Japan which ranks 118th globally on the 2024 Gender Gap Index. Women are heavily underrepresented in politics, leadership and economic roles. Cultural norms and postponed reforms continue to limit gender parity despite this breakthrough.

Sanae Takaichi has made history as Japan’s first female Prime Minister, a landmark achievement in a country long dominated by male political leadership. Her ascent highlights Japan’s persistent gender inequality, especially when compared with other developed nations. Japan scored approximately 0.66 points on the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, ranking 118th out of 146 countries a slight improvement over the previous year, but still far behind other G7 nations.

Japan’s gender gap is characterised by near parity in education and health, but severe gaps in political empowerment and economic participation. The 2024 gender gap report shows political empowerment scores below 0.1, with only about 15 pc of lower house seats held by women, and 26.7 pc in the upper house. Women’s representation in rural politics is even lower. The cabinet under the previous government had only two female ministers, though this increased modestly to five by 2023, still far from many developed countries.

A lack of female representation in politics is not conducive to shaping economic participation for women. Economic participation and opportunity in Japan scored 0.57 points in 2024, ranking place 120 out of 146. While the share of women in the workforce has increased significantly in past decades, women are more likely than men to work in non-regular employment and are less often in leadership positions.

Japan’s non-favourable ranking in economic participation was mainly due to the small share of women holding leadership positions in the government, organisations, and the private sector.

Cultural and social norms reinforce these inequalities. Japan has postponed gender equality targets from 2020 to 2030, and conservative resistance remains strong on issues like separate surnames for married couples and male-only imperial succession.

Takaichi herself, known for her conservative stance, opposes some feminist reforms, but has brought attention to women’s health issues and pledged to increase female ministers to Nordic-level representation.

Japan’s stark gender indicators such as few women as Members of Parliament, ministers, Chief Executive Officers and leaders of political parties highlights the country’s ongoing struggle. Takaichi’s leadership symbolises a breakthrough for women but also highlights the paradox of progress within a conservative framework that maintains significant gender disparity.

The 64-year-old conservative is known as Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ and is an admirer of the Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Takaichi, a staunch conservative and long-time politician, overcame significant challenges to reach the top political position in a nation where male dominance has long prevailed. Takaichi received  237 votes in the 465-seat lower house of parliament to win confirmation in the role.

Born in 1961 in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi graduated from Kobe University and entered politics in the early 1990s. She has been a protege of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, holding several ministerial roles during his tenure and advocating economic policies similar to Abe’s “Abenomics,” focusing on fiscal stimulus and monetary easing to revitalize Japan’s stagnant economy.

Takaichi’s political career is marked by her conservative views, social traditionalism which includes advocating strong defence policies amid rising regional tensions. She also has opposed changes to Japan’s imperial succession laws, insisting male-only lineage preservation, and maintains a critical stance on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.