Requests for advice on maternity harassment hit record high in Japan
TOKYO —
The number of cases seeking advice from labor authorities over so-called maternity harassment in the workplace in Japan reached a record-high 4,269 in fiscal 2015 ended March 31, up 19% from the previous year, a government tally shows.
The sharp rise in the figure indicates that more female workers are now openly raising their voices so that their companies will address the problem, given that maternity harassment has earned recognition as an issue that should be tackled, an official of the labor ministry said Wednesday.
A woman who has been unfairly treated by her company, such as being told to leave or demoted, within a year of her pregnancy or delivery is deemed as subject to maternity harassment in principle, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The ministry set the criteria in March last year to judge which cases amount to harassment.
The number of inquiries the country’s prefectural labor bureaus received stood at between 3,200 and 3,600 cases annually over the five years through fiscal 2014. The ministry began taking the tally in fiscal 2010.
Of the 4,269 cases, 2,650 were related to unfair treatment the workers attributed to marriage, pregnancy or delivery, which is banned under the country’s law to ensure equal employment opportunity of men and women.
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