The activities of female local councilors in Europe and the United States are creating a situation that communities are becoming richer. In the fields of economics and public finance, it is known that risk-averse behavior and decision-making patterns differ depending on gender. In male-dominated councils, this gender influence tends to reflect the opinions of men. If women make up a majority, it becomes possible to incorporate female gender differences. For example, it has been shown that an increase in female heads in police departments dealing with domestic violence has a positive impact on the performance of the police organization, and improves citizens’ perception of police trustworthiness and fairness. This is because consultations and interviews are conducted with women’s needs in mind. As a result of accumulating such research, it has become empirically clear that countries with a higher proportion of female councilors tend to have less corruption.
An example of how an increase in female councilors has contributed to regional revitalization is Oiso Town in Kanagawa Prefecture. Oiso Town had the highest proportion of female councilors in Japan. In 2003, the proportion of female councilors in this town reached 50%. The increase in female legislators has dramatically changed parliaments. In male-dominated parliaments, inspections conducted by legislators were often merely “sightseeing for the sake of camaraderie.” However, female legislators have significantly shifted these sightseeing-focused inspections towards welfare-oriented activities. Women are now taking the lead in policy-making, and tax money is being used to improve people’s daily lives. Female legislators possess the management skills to integrate family and social work. When parliamentary groups are composed of men and the elderly, policies prioritizing the interests of men and the elderly tend to pass more easily. The increase in female legislators has led to the proposal of policies that directly affect residents, such as community development. Female legislators are bringing a breath of fresh air to traditionally male-dominated parliaments.
The Gender Gap Index evaluates four areas: politics, economics, education, and health. Japan ranks a disappointing 125th out of 146 countries. In Japan’s case, there isn’t a significant gender gap in the areas of health and education. In terms of average life expectancy, Japan consistently ranks among the world’s best. In the field of education, there is almost no gender difference in the enrollment rate in four-year universities. However, when it comes to politics, the percentage of female members of the House of Representatives is only 15.7%. In the long history of Japanese politics, Prime Minister Takaichi has been the only female prime minister. In the economic sphere, the gap is serious, with wage disparities and an extremely low number of female managers. But even here, the situation is changing. In market research and discussions about the future, there is a growing trend in Japan to recognize the problems of having only male-dominated groups. The movement to increase the proportion of women participating is gaining recognition for the benefits of eliciting diverse opinions. Japanese politics and economy should also move to a high level, just like education and health.
