A Japanese employer chides employee for becoming pregnant before her "turn", highlighting country's rampant discrimination
A Japanese employee has been reprimanded by her employers for “selfishly breaking the rules” and becoming pregnant before her “turn”.
According to media reports, and The Telegraph, the woman was working in north Japan, at a childcare centre, when she discovered she was expecting.
The unnamed woman’s experiences allegedly were brought forth after her partner wrote a letter to one of Japan’s leading newspapers.
The letter read: “The director at the child care centre where she works had determined the order in which workers could get married or pregnant, and apparently there was an unspoken rule that one must not take their 'turn' before a senior staff member...
“Childcare providers sacrifice their own children to care for the children of others. It is a noble profession that nurtures children who will forge the future of this country.
“I respect my wife for her commitment to her profession and continue to encourage her. The conditions of those working to nurture and care for children are evidence of a backward country.”
According to the media, the couple met with the director of the company to apologise for getting pregnant out of turn – during which the husband claims his wife was “chided” for her apparent selfishness.
The letter garnered a lot of support in Japan, where many people were critical of the woman’s employer and their stance to staff pregnancy.
However, it seems as if this is not a standalone incident. A report from 2015 revealed that over half of Japan’s working women have suffered discrimination in some form after becoming pregnant. One in five claim to have been dismissed for their jobs.
