Caroline Kennedy has recently been placed in the spotlight as a potential US Ambassador to Japan. In light of that announcement, The Wilson Center’s Shihoko Goto wrote an article discussing the potential for women’s issues in Japan under Kennedy’s ambassadorship.
Caroline Kennedy has recently been placed in the spotlight as a potential US Ambassador to Japan. In light of that announcement, The Wilson Center’s Shihoko Goto wrote an article discussing the potential for women’s issues in Japan under Kennedy’s ambassadorship. Japan lags far behind many countries in gender equity, ranking 101 out of 135 countries, according to a World Economic Forum survey. While women constitute 15% of high-level management and corporate boards in the US, they are only represented at that level at 2% in Japan. Shihoko argues that Japan needs significant policy reforms and changes in society to encourage women to seek economic opportunities. While America has much work to do in that field as well, Kennedy could use her position and network to promote women’s leadership in Japan and the United States.
The Global Women’s Leadership Initiative has hosted the Women in Public Service Project at the Wilson Center since June, 2012. The Women in Public Service Project will accelerate global progress towards women’s equal participation in policy and political leadership to create more dynamic and inclusive institutions that leverage the full potential of the world’s population to change the way global solutions are forged. Read more
