EY Y01 L14 Women

There are many jobs that women do more often than men in Japan. Name one. Would you like to have that job? Why?
There are many jobs that men do more often than women in Japan. Name one. Could a woman perform that task as well as a man? Why?
There are many women, both in Japan and around the world, who have been trailblazers in vocations traditionally dominated by men. Name one. What did she do?
Tell me about one time that you have witnessed or been the victim of chauvinism?
Do you have a father/son/brother/husband who would (i) change a diaper? (ii) make the dinner? (iii) clean the toilet? (iv) do the ironing? (v) care for the elderly in the family? (vi) make the tea when a guest visits? (vii) clean the dishes? Do you think that gender inequality in Japan is getting better or getting worse? Why?
Are you glad you were born the gender you were born? Why?

Question 1

I think plenty of women in Japan adhere to the traditional role of being the stay-at-home parent. Being a stay-at-home parent or housewife is a very demanding job and should be considered a profession even if they don't earn a salary. Their daily tasks and the work they put day in and day out into taking care of their families is just as demanding, maybe even more, than an office job. I currently am not yet thinking of having children, but I would be alright with being a housewife. However, I much prefer earning money since I like spending it.

Question 2

I think there are too many companies with men as the CEO or are C-level employees (CFO, CCO, COO, etc.), and this is baffling to me since in the Philippines, I think around 25% of CEOs are women. I think a woman can do the job just as well as a man. I have worked with different big companies in the Philippines and have worked with these female CEOs and C-level employees closely, and all of them are outstanding women. They are extremely organized, resourceful, decisive but also sensitive to their employees needs.

Question 3

Fe del Mundo was the first woman admitted into the Harvard School of Medicine, and she was from the Philippines. She was a pioneer in inventing a treatment for children with Jaundice. She passed away at the age of 99 on 2011.

Question 4

In the Philippines, I used to get more compliments about my looks rather than how well I presented our sales pitch, project plans or whatever other highly complex work. It was like my appearance was more important than my performance.

Question 5

My husband and I share doing the chores at home. He does the dishes and vacuuming while I do the laundry and cooking. He's not very good yet with vacuuming but I'm helping him be more attentive to really cleaning our surfaces. I think the gender inequality in Japan is getting better because the younger generation are becoming more aware of sharing roles in the household, especially because of how difficult the economy is right now and both need to have full-time jobs.

Question 6

I'm not glad I was born as a women. I honestly think I would have been better suited to be a man, my personality is very strong and aggressiveindependent which right now society still thinks is aggressive and inappropriate behavior for ladies. That being said, I wouldn't change it because I think being a woman has helped me become who I am today.