We’ve talked about a lot of different forms of workplace harassment and sexism that women experience in Japan. The harassment spans all stages of their careers – from college admissions on down to their choice of eyewear. Now, an organization in Japan is speaking out against job-seeking harassment – power and sexual harassment of women during interviews.
“Better Get a Boyfriend Or You’ll Be Left on the Shelf”
According to Huffington Post Japan, the organization, SAY, held a press conference on December 2nd. SAY has previously raised alarm bells around job-seeking harassment. On November 18th, it criticized Japan’s Health and Labor Ministry policies as “absolutely ineffective.”
As a follow up to that criticism, SAY held a press conference at the Ministry, where the organization aired the experiences of women who’ve suffered harassment during job interviews. One woman, who was interviewing for internships or a possible position as an OB/GYN, recounted how interviewers said things to her like, “better get a boyfriend or you’ll be left on the shelf,” and “Quit looking – you’ll be screwed if you don’t get married soon.”
Faced with such a situation, the woman told reporters that all she could do was laugh and pretend she didn’t notice it. “But,” she said, “I don’t want younger women to face this. I want them to have a safe path to entering society.”
Twitter Users Share Job-Seeking Harassment Stories
With more women entering the Japanese workplace than ever before, sexual harassment is increasingly becoming a more visible issue in the country. Despite simply being wrong, this continued harassment only exacerbates Japan’s continued labor shortage by creating barriers to entry for women.
HuffPo JP’s initial reporting received a lot of coverage on Japanese Twitter. Many Twitter users gave their own thoughts, with more than a few lamenting what women were forced to endure. One user, Hiro, urged women to turn their backs on companies that engaged in harassment: “With so many companies short-handed, those that receive bad marks during interviews will be crushed. I think that’ll eliminate ‘black’ businesses. If You shouldn’t join a company if you feel put off during the interview.”
Other users chimed in with their own experiences. One user told a tale of power harassment: “I went to coffee during an interview with a company I really wanted to join, and they demanded, ‘Finish drinking your coffee!’ I wish I could rescue the feeble me of yesteryear.”
And another woman told an even more harrowing tale. “I faced job-seeking harassment when I re-entered the job market. I was threatened for refusing him. ‘You sure? If you refuse, others in this business will bad-mouth you.’ This company forced clerical staff into sex. Me? I took back my resume, showed them my smart phone’s voice recorder and shot back, ‘Lay a hand on me and I’m reporting you.'”
Workplace harassment has received a lot of attention in Japan in recent years. But awareness of job-seeking harassment is low. Hopefully, the actions of SAY and the brave women who are now speaking out opens up another dimension of this important national conversation.
