Name

():

Course:

Date:

1) Riddle: A man is the car with his son when they get in an accident. The man dies instantly, and the
son is badly injured. He is taken to the hospital, where is quickly rushed to the operating room. After
preparing, the surgeon comes into the operating room, looks at the patients face, and suddenly yells,
This is my son! How is this possible?

Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Name

():

Course:

Date:

2) Look at the chart below. How do you think they are ranking the countries?Breaking Japans
bamboo ceiling
CNN, April 22, 2010 http://snipurl.com/bambooceiling

The Global _______________________

2011 Rankings (Top 20)
Country

2011

Score*

2010

Change

Iceland

85.3%

Norway

84.0%

1) What percent of board members in Japan are

women? 2) How does Japan compare with other
nations in terms of gender equality?
Vocabulary

The numbers of female executives in

1.
including many different types of people, things,
Finland
83.8%
3
0 orideas
Japan
are increasing. 3
More
Japanese companies
are
looking
Sweden
4
80.4%
4 for 2.
0
a manager in an organization or company who
diversity.
helps
make important decisions
Ireland
5
78.3%
6
1

It is called a bamboo ceiling bamboo 3.

designed to make something look attractive
New but
Zealand
6
78.1%
5
-1 rather

bends,
doesnt break.
than to be used for a particular purpose
Denmark
7
77.8%
7
0

Women often serve in largely ornamental 4.

to become curved and no longer flat or straight
roles.
Philippines
8
76.9%
9
1

Women
are
often
pushed
to
secretarial
5.
Lesotho
9
76.7%
8
-1
someone who works in an office typing letters,
jobs and traditionally female work.
answering telephone calls, arranging meetings, etc.
Switzerland
10
76.3%
10
0

Japan is a patriarchal society most of the6.

managers who supervise groups of people, but do
Germany
11
75.9%
13
2
make important decisions for the whole
political and economic power is held by
not
Spain
12
75.8%
11
-1 organization
men.

Women
are
beginning
to
enter
middle
7.
Belgium
13
75.3%
14
1
ruled or controlled only by men
management, but going beyond that is
South Africa
14
74.8%
12
-2

rare.
Netherlands
15
74.7%
17
2
to achieve something gradually by working
Ms. Fukushima worked her way up through
8.
an United
American
company.
Kingdom
16
74.6%
15
-1

There
areStates
very few female
board
9.
United
17
74.1% members
19
2
a group of people in a company or organization
in Japan.
who
make the rules and important decisions
Canada
18
74.1%
20
2

Many believe that women are

10.
to not use fully for a particular purpose; to not
Latvia
19
74.0%
18
-1

underutilized
in Japans
workforce.
use
someone to her or his full potential
20 the
73.9%
24
4
to be at the point where something is about to
Ms.Cuba
Brooke believes that
economic
11.
crisis could be a good opportunity.
happen
Ms. Fukushima says that Japan is on the 12.
describing methods, systems, etc. that are very
verge.
strict and difficult to change
She believes that change even in the 13.
a chance to do something, or an occasion when it
most rigid of business cultures is
is easy to do something
possible.

1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

6.

Comprehension
The reports starts with the following line: You are witnessing a seismic shift in Japans executive ranks
a female voice amid a sea of men. What does this mean? (a) Male executives are afraid of female
executives in Japan, and they are watching the female executives closely; (b) Japan is becoming a
nation with one of the highest rates of female executives in the world; (c) To see a female executive
among a group of male executives in Japan is a very big change.
[ T / F ] Saki Fukushima is the first female board member of Bridgestone Corporation in Japan.
In Japan, [41.1% / 14.4% / 4.1% / 1.4%] of executives are women.
Japan is ranked [21 / 34 / 91 / 101] out of 134 countries on the World Economic Forums Global Gender
Gap Index.
The report states: Beth Brooke [a vice-president with Ernst and Young] believes that Japans recovering
economy marks a turning point: Japans aging population means a shrinking workforce, and a chance to
rediscover the people underutilized in the country. What does this mean? (a) Japans current economic
situation has been especially bad for women in Japan; (b) Japans current economic situation presents a
good opportunity for Japan to better use women in the workforce; (c) Because Japans population is
decreasing, more and more women have to be cut from the workforce; (d) Because of the economic
situation in Japan, more and more Japanese women are looking for opportunities in other countries.
[ T / F ] Beth Brooke believes that utilizing more women in the workforce will increase diversity and
innovation in Japan.
Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Name

7.

():

Course:

Date:

Gary Garfield, CEO of Bridgestone Americas, says that he is [pleased / disappointed] with the hiring of
Ms. Fukushima because it shows that Japan [is / is not] progressing.

Report: Women could boost Japanese workforce if concessions are made (edited)
June 15, 2010 http://snipr.com/cnn-japanfemaleworkers
Tokyo, Japan -- If more women worked, Japan could add millions of employees to its rapidly shrinking
workforce, a government study released Tuesday said. The key is better pay and a more flexible work
culture.
If women did not quit their jobs due to marriage or childbirth, the report says, Japan's workforce would
increase by up to 4.5 million people. Female workers numbered 27.7 million in the Japanese workforce
in 2009, compared to 38.4 million men.
The annual document analyzes the role of women in the Japanese economy and, this year, urges more
flexibility so women can maintain careers and raise children. There is a significant drop in the number
of women working in their 30s, according to the report. Pay may be one of the reasons. Total
compensation for women equals about 40 percent of what men make in Japan, the government said.
Hourly wages for women are about 70 percent of that for their male counterparts.
Although Japan has the world's third largest economy, it also has the world's fastest aging population
and one of the lowest birthrates in the world. By 2050, the government estimates 40 percent of Japan's
population will be over the age of 65.
The numbers represent a shrinking tax base for the Japanese economy -- one that has the world's
largest debt to gross-domestic-product (GDP) ratio, at nearly 200 percent. Paying that debt off will be
an increasing challenge for Tokyo if the number of taxpayers decreases every year.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Comprehension
Higher pay and a more flexible workplace [are / are not] important factors in increasing the number
of women in the workforce.
There is a large [increase / decrease] in the number of women working in their 30s.
There are [more / fewer / about the same amount of] women in the workforce than men.
The report says that Japans workforce would increase by up to 4.5 million people if more women
[did not get married and have children / got married and had children / did not quit their jobs because
of marriage or childbirth].
[ T / F ] Japans population is getting older at a faster rate than any other nation in the world.
Japan has one of the lowest [birthrates / debt-to-GDP ratios / gender gaps] in the world.
The government predicts that [30% / 40% / 70%] of Japans population will be at least 65 years old
by the year 2050.
The hourly wages for women are about [40% / 70% / 90%] of what men make, while the total
compensation is about [40% / 70% / 90%] of that of men.
Japan has one of the [lowest / highest] debt-to-GDP ratios in the world; the debt will be difficult to
pay off if Japan does not increase the number of [old people / taxpayers / marriages].
Quota system for women urged
KYODO / The Japan Times, June 22, 2011 http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20110622a8.html
The government said in an annual white paper on gender equality adopted Tuesday that a quota
system and other new measures need to be introduced to see women occupy about 30 percent of
leadership positions in business, political and other arenas by 2020.
Prospects for attaining the goal "cannot be said to be comfortable at present," the paper says, citing as
examples low ratios of women among senior officials of local governments, at 6.0 percent, and
university and corporate researchers, at 13.6 percent.
As for Diet members, the report cites high rates for women in countries where major political parties
have introduced a quota system for fielding candidates, including 45.0 percent in Sweden and 32.8
percent in Germany. Japan's figure is 11.3 percent for the Lower House.
Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Name

1.

():

Course:

Date:

Discussion
How can Japan increase the number of female politicians and female executives in businesses? How
can it encourage more women to stay in the workforce after marriage and childbirth? Do you think a
quota system should be introduced? What measures do the government, businesses, universities, etc.
need to do?
Assignment: On a separate piece of paper (loose leaf or recycled paper is fine), choose one of the three
discussion questions above and write your response. Be specific use specific details, examples,
personal experiences, etc. to support your opinion. Use at least three vocabulary words and at least
seven sentences.
Extra credit: Research one of the countries in the top fifteen of the 2010 World Economic Forum Gender
Gap Index (http://www.weforum.org/ issues/global-gender-gap). What policies has the country taken to
help narrow the gender gap? What policies do you think Japan should adopt? Write a 1-2 page paper
with your research findings and your opinion.

Lesson created by Steve Silver, Kwansei Gakuin University, Nishinomiya, Japan. This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/