G7 discusses women's rights in post-Covid-19 era

Held in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, the meeting, chaired by Japan's Minister of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Masanobu Ogura, highlighted the socio -economic disparities between men and women.

Ministers are expected to adopt a joint statement on June 25, agreeing on measures to address issues such as the pay gap and reduced employment opportunities for women.

In the G7 and the European Union (EU), men will be paid 14.4% more than women on average in 2021. This is higher than the average gap of 11.7% in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Ministers will discuss ways to boost women's advancement into highly paid positions at companies and seek to increase transparency in corporate governance regarding gender equality policies.

Ministers will also focus on concerns that the Covid-19 pandemic has reversed progress on gender equality, sharing the issue that women may be forced to reduce their working hours more than men to care for children and examining the rise in domestic violence during the pandemic.

Previously, a survey by the World Economic Forum showed that Japan ranked 125th out of 146 countries on the gender inequality index in 2023, continuing to be at the bottom of the G7, the lowest in the East Asia and Pacific region.

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