🔗 Share this article

For many young girls in Japan currently, the image of Sanae Takaichi assuming leadership as the nation's inaugural woman prime minister is powerful and influential.

This signifies a male-oriented culture and a political system that has long been dominated by men is now led by a female.

But while the optics speak of a forward-thinking era, some women do not view her as an champion of progress.

It was rather interesting to observe how individuals outside Japan have responded to the news,” a 21-year-old states.

“Everyone's like, ‘wow, she's the first female prime minister in the nation's past and that would be a great opportunity for female advancement and gender equality in Japan’.

In my opinion that's a very naive interpretation.”

Conversely, Ms Ogura points to her “ideological stance and what she represents,” adding: “She reinforces the male-dominated structure.”

A big fan of Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has always wanted to be the “Steel Magnolia” of her nation.

And like Thatcher, Takaichi is a firm conservative.

Observers say her ascension is a tactical move from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to appeal to the increasingly right-leaning base which had lately shifted towards Japan's more extreme conservative groups.

The leader is against marriage equality and has long stood against laws that would allow married couples to have different last names, blocking many females from keeping their birth surnames.

She's also opposed to females being in eligible for the throne in the imperial family.

Nonetheless, she moderated some of her statements during her campaign – stating she favours giving tax incentives to businesses that offer childcare facilities to their employees and spoke of possible tax breaks for families spending on child-rearing.

Yet she has historically supported the notion of a conventional role for females in the community and in the home.

Regarding gender matters, Takaichi is consistent with her country's subpar record on gender issues.

The Country's Inequality in Perspective

Japanese women are among the best educated and highest qualified in the globe and yet they struggle with the expectations of a conservative society that still directs them into traditional roles.

According to the latest gender gap index by the global organization, Japan ranked 118th among 148 nations, with female representation in the field of politics notably low.

Top roles have historically been held by men and Japan has faced difficulties to boost the quantity of women legislators and business leaders.

The globally fourth biggest economy places last among the Group of Seven nations when it comes to the share of women in its legislative body. In detail, women constitute about less than 16% of legislators in Japan, the lowest figure among the G7.

Progress is also sluggish when it comes to women's reproductive health: only this week was it announced that the “emergency” pill – a type of post-coital birth control available without prescription in more than 90 nations – had at last been authorized for over the counter use in Japan.

Mixed Responses to the Landmark Leadership

Nonetheless, certain individuals view Takaichi's rise to power as a critical juncture that could alter how females perceive their opportunities.

“It is highly meaningful in Ms Takaichi becoming prime minister, with a broader impact on the public,” Naomi Koshi – who became the nation's most youthful woman city leader in 2012 – told local media.

She contended Japan electing a female prime minister will “lower mental obstacles” for women and girls, enabling them to believe it is normal to “stand out” as leaders in companies and society, despite gender-based stereotypes and norms still persist.

However Audrey Hill-Uekawa notes that, while it is notable Japan has its first female prime minister, it is important to recall it required her over three decades to reach that office.

“Additionally, she is not truly going against the grain. She's saying the same thing as the men.”

Ms Hill-Uekawa adds that she ought not be placed on a platform just due to the fact she is a woman.

“It is essential to make sure we're discussing her agenda. We need to be capable of evaluate her fairly as all other leaders.”

Political Context and Influences

It is not only what Takaichi has said which has led people to label her as a supporter of the male-dominated system.

It's also evident by which individuals her supporters inside the party have were.

She's the protégé of the late ex- hawkish prime minister Shinzo Abe, and was backed in the leadership election by Taro Aso – a senior figure in the ruling party at the head of one of the ruling party's most influential conservative blocs.

His faction's support for Sanae Takaichi was crucial in consolidating the party's right wing behind her.

“I do feel that it is difficult for women to somewhat relate to her success because it promotes this idea that we have to be obedient with the existing system,” young adult a citizen remarks.

The 21-year-old agrees, stating that with her as a symbol for females in government, “the public are going to expect the identical from women as too”.

“They're going to expect us to be conforming, not oppose the ideals that they hold, and it might make our job more difficult.”

Future Obstacles and Expectations

Achieving this milestone, though, was just the first of the challenges Takaichi will face – not least tackling a sluggish economy and rising prices and regaining the trust of a discontented and angry voting public, as in addition to hosting president Trump within days of taking power.

One can reasonably assume that no-one expects women's rights matters to be a top priority on her priority list.