Women find workplaces unfriendly to working moms

A Japanese government survey has found that more than half of the women who quit work to raise children, cited unfriendly work environments as the main reason behind their decision.

The survey was conducted by the Cabinet Office in February and March and canvassed 10,000 men and women aged between 20 and 44. They were asked if they had changed jobs after marriage or in order to raise their children. Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.

51 percent of women who quit their jobs after giving birth or to raise children, said working conditions made it difficult for them to continue.

46 percent said they wanted to take more time for housework and to raise their children.

31 percent said they found themselves physically unfit to continue their jobs.

49 percent of women who cited work-related reasons said their workplaces had no system or atmosphere to help employees maintain a good balance between work and family.

43 percent said working hours were too long for them to continue working while raising children.
34 percent said they had no colleagues who kept working under a similar situation, while 22 percent said their firms had no plans to nurture female workers.

The Cabinet Office says many women feel Japanese companies lack systematic support for working parents and bosses and other employees are not sympathetic.
It points out the need to improve such work environments.