News in Easy English: Survey shows politics still difficult for women to enter in Japan
TOKYO -- A new survey shows that it is still hard for women in Japan to take part in politics. Many women feel worried about their health, have problems with people's thinking, and experience unkind words or actions.
Japan has fewer women politicians than many other countries. In November 2024, just 19% of national politicians were women. For local politicians, only 17.4% (in December 2023) were women.
The Cabinet Office did a survey to check why politics is still difficult for women to enter. They asked 6,173 people. They talked to people who stopped trying to become politicians, people who tried but did not win, and people who already work as local politicians.
Both men and women said money is a big problem. Elections cost a lot of money. This makes it hard for people to become politicians.
But many women said health problems and family responsibilities also stopped them. For example, some women worried they would get sick when pregnant or feel pain during periods. Some women said it is difficult to look after both their family and do political work.
Many women said another problem is the idea that "politics is a man's job." Over half (56.1%) of women who ran in an election but lost said this was a big problem. Among people already working in local politics, 34.3% of women also agreed. For men, this number was very low.
Many female politicians also said they were treated badly, such as hurtful words or actions against them. Over half (53.8%) of the women politicians said they had this experience. For men, only 23.6% said the same.
After looking at the survey results, the Cabinet Office said they will now think of ways to help women in Japanese politics.
(Japanese original by Moe Yamamoto, Digital News Group)
Vocabulary
survey: when you ask many people questions to learn what they think
politician: a person whose job is in government, making important decisions
election: when people choose politicians by voting
local: about towns, cities or prefectures, not the whole country
responsibilities: tasks, jobs or duties that you must do
periods: regular monthly changes in a woman's body that can cause pain
pregnant: when a woman will soon have a baby
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