The Japanese psychiatric association's gender equality promotion committee has organized a symposium looking at the analysis and future agenda for increasing the active roles taken by female doctors.
 The Gender gap is internationally measured by the gender gap index (GGI) and in 2015 the Japan GGI was 0.670, placing it 101st of 145 countries. The primary reason for such a low ranking is directly connected with the very low number of females who hold management level or other leadership positions.
 Women with ability cannot be promoted within organizations sometimes due to the metaphorically expressed "glass ceiling". The background for this dates back to the 1980s when the structure of industry changed, and more importance was placed on diversity, and with this change a broader range of jobs opened up to the female work force. However, women could not yet take a more active role due to societal stereotype(capable women were hated as they should be modest, devoted, and focus on family first)and in reality this meant they would end up doing housekeeping, raising children, and caring for the elders in the family. Furthermore, women returning after child birth are forced into a "mammy track" (a career path devoid of responsibility or pressure and the lack of opportunity for promotion). This is a huge loss for the medical professions that require highly specialized skills.
 If the criterion by which hospitals are judged by the national health insurance system could become more flexible or positive consideration could be given for the shortfall left during the period of maternity leave then for those women and their employers there would be more leeway in creating equality and a fairer work life balance for the longer term.
 Sheryl Sandberg, the writer of "Lean In", inspired that women should take leadership and sit at the table, and this must be supported by society as a whole. Clinical Psychiatry is deeply related to society, and therefore we should expect it to rapidly change with the times. That is to say paternalism should be checked up, diversity and flexibility should be promoted and maintained at both the individual and organizational levels.
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