Japan’s legislature recently passed a law that will require private-sector companies with more than 300 employees to set targets for the promotion and employment of women.
The law will require employers to investigate, in relation to their company: the proportion of women being recruited; the difference in average length of tenure between men and women; the difference in working hours between men and women; and the proportion of women in management positions. They will then be required to set numerical targets in at least one of these areas as part of an action plan for the empowerment of women.
Although minimum goals are not being prescribed and penalties will not be applied in the case of failure to meet the targets set, companies will be required to disclose their action plans to the public. Smaller companies will also be required to ‘make efforts’ to comply with the law.
The law will come into force on April 1st 2016 and will remain in force until March 31st 2026.