Japan Is a Modern Country — So Why Are Gender Values Still So Old?

Japan Is a Modern Country — So Why Are Gender Values Still So Old?

Japan still operates with a male-first mindset and social structures that benefit men more than women.

For example, painless childbirth (epidurals) is still uncommon, child support after divorce isn’t strictly enforced, and many fathers simply disappear without paying.
About 90% of single parents are mothers — and the amount of child support set by the system is extremely low.

Traditional Values Are Still Strong Among Politicians

These outdated systems don’t change because, to male politicians, these issues feel like someone else’s problem.

(Japan’s government is still about 80–90% male.)

Especially among older politicians (40s and up), old-school beliefs still linger, like:

・“A woman becomes a real mother by enduring pain.”

・“Men are superior.”

・“Housework and childcare are women’s duties.”

When people benefit from the current system — or the issue doesn’t affect them — they rarely feel the need to change anything.

Women Still Carry Most of the Household and Childcare Load

Even though “gender equality” is loudly promoted and many households are dual-income, women still bear more of the household burden.

Mothers overwhelmingly do the daycare drop-off and pickup.
When a child gets sick, it’s the mother who leaves work early.
Society still assumes that “women should handle it.”

Child Support Is Low — and Easy to Avoid

Child support after divorce is usually around 50,000 yen ($323 in 2025).
But 50,000 yen barely covers a child’s food, daycare fees, clothes, and activities — it disappears instantly.

If you calculate childcare as labor, the amount is nowhere near enough, and raising a child limits working hours and income.
Realistically, at least 100,000 yen ($646) would be appropriate.
Yet many parents don’t even pay that — they just vanish.

Taxes are impossible to avoid, but child support is.
It’s pretty obvious why the system hasn’t improved: it’s still mainly designed and run by men.

A Global Issue: Even Car Safety Standards Are Designed for Men

This isn’t just Japan.
Worldwide, women are more likely to be seriously injured in car accidents.

Why?

Because crash test dummies have long been modeled after an “average adult male”:
about 175 cm, 70 kg.

So for decades, global car manufacturers designed:

・seatbelt placement

・airbag positioning

・crash tests

・vehicle frame strength

based on the male body.

As a result, data from around the world shows women face a higher risk of severe injury or death in accidents.

Sometimes, gender bias literally becomes a life-or-death issue.

“Male by Default” Design Exists Everywhere

The auto industry has historically been dominated by men, so it’s not always intentional discrimination — often it’s unconscious bias.
And the “male default” exists in many other systems too.

Gender equality still has a long road ahead.

The Fact That We Say “Gender Equality” Means We Don’t Have It Yet

If true equality existed, no one would even need the phrase “gender equality.”
The term itself is proof of inequality.

Maybe in a few decades, people will look back and say:
“There used to be something called gender inequality.”
“That’s so strange.”

I really hope so.