Foreign Student (hereinafter, FS): Japan was ranked 111th out of 144 nations in the World Economic Forum’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2016.” Is Japan really such an unequal country? Teacher (hereinafter, T): The results measure the gender gap in the fields of economics, politics, education, and health. It could be said that there are few women in politics and business in Japan. However, this does not mean that Japanese women are discriminated against socially. According to a 1958 survey on the Japanese character carried out by the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 27 % of women would have liked to have been “reincarnated as a woman,” however, in 2013, this increased to 71%. Furthermore, 61% of women replied that “If I could only have one child, I’d like a girl” (2013). FS: So although Japanese women are not particularly making strides in the workplace, they still feel content being born as women, right? T: The results of the report might reflect the continuing influence of the traditional attitude that “men go out to work, while women keep the home fires burning.” In 1979, “Master Declaration,” a song by singer-songwriter SADA Masashi which poked fun at the male idea of love, became a big hit. The song begins “Before I take you as my wife, I have some things to tell you,” and continues to enumerate all these things from a male perspective: “You must not go to bed earlier than me, you must make delicious dishes.” However, it ends with “Throughout my whole life, there’ll only be one woman I love.” Women understand that behind all the sexual discrimination, men have a real love of them. In the past, there was a tendency to believe that a woman’s happiness lay in playing a supporting role to men. FS：Viewed from a different perspective, this is egotistical male logic, right? T: That’s right. The idea that a woman is dependent on her father before marriage and on her husband after marriage has been in decline. FS: Aren’t there many women who are actively involved in society these days? T: The Equal Employment Opportunity Law came into effect in 1985, since then there’s been a huge shift in cultural values making it easier for women to get ahead in the world. However, many women do not actively seek work because deductions on their husband’s income are not applicable to double income households. On the other hand, there’s no support for single women working part time and low wages have become a problem. Analysis of the 2015 National Census reveals that “about half of 30-year-old single women remain unmarried ten years later at the age of 40.” In July, 2016, the first female Governor of Metropolitan Tokyo was elected. As Governor KOIKE Yuriko is single, she has become a role model for other women who want to be active participants in society. Although not much has been said up until now about the progress women have made in society, Japan’s social structure is currently undergoing a big upheaval.