March Meeting
Japan's Gender Gap:
Student Perceptions and Perspectives
with
Ellen Rettig-Miki
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
Time: 6:00–6:45 pm: Arrive and mingle
7:00 pm: Dinner
8:00–9:00 pm: Presentation
Place: Hilton Osaka (Umeda), 4th floor
Cost: FEW members: ¥6,000
Nonmembers (women only): ¥8,000
Register: By Wednesday, March 22, midnight
(FEW Kansai members may participate in monthly meetings via Zoom if unable to join in person at the
Hilton. Register from the event page.)
In 2022, Japan again ranked in the lowest quartile of countries included in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report – 116th out of 146 – making it the lowest ranking of the G7 nations. What impact does the gender gap have on the beliefs of young people in Japan today? How is it influencing their lives and shaping their choices? In March, we’ll look at Japan’s gender gap in the areas of education, politics, health, and economics and hear how it is perceived by Japanese university students. Ellen Rettig-Miki, our speaker, has been actively exploring the issue of gender equality in her classes with university students at Kwansei Gakuin University for several years. With the students’ consent, Ellen will share with us their reflections on how personal experiences related to gender have impacted their choices of activities, education, and career. From their perceptions and perspectives, we’ll gain new insight into how gender-equal or unequal these students view the world around them. Join us for this unique opportunity to experience the gender gap through the eyes of the next generation entering the workforce. |
Our Speaker: Ellen Rettig-Miki
Ellen
Rettig-Miki moved to Japan in 1990 after graduating from university in the US.
She has been
working as an EFL educator since then, first at a rural public junior high school, then for nearly two
decades in the corporate world, teaching international business communication skills to a wide variety
of domestic and multi-national clients.
She has been working full-time as a university instructor for the past nine years and is currently teaching
at Kwansei Gakuin University. Her strong interest in the topic of gender equality is the result of many
personal experiences with gender inequalities in her working life in Japan.