20/20 vision needed in Japan

[springyzone]

If you're a woman, that is.

I saw an intriguing news report that some companies in Japan have a rule that no female employees are to wear glasses.

It does not apply to the men.

I was a little bit shocked, to be honest. I would have thought that in this day & age, if someone had poor sight, that a smart pair of glasses would be perfectly acceptable. I have no trouble with receptionists, salespeople etc wearing them. My only concern is in the helpfulness/level of service.

This could be a big problem in a country such as Japan. Don't know if it is the same now, but it used to be that business was dominated over there by a handful of companies and it wasn't like here, people didn't swap and move jobs so much. A job in a company was more a job for life, and you certainly didn't swap companies. That may not be so current now but all the same, some of these women may not have a lot of choice of jobs. Even here in Australia, sometimes people have to compromise when it comes to employment.

From what I can gather, this doesn't apply in every Japanese workplace, just in some.

The rule about high heels is also interesting. Again, I can't see why a smart low heel is not acceptable. I can understand uniform rules more easily though than a ban on glasses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/11/08/women-japan-were-told-not-wear-glasses-work-their-re...

[tasfleur]

It's back to the dark ages!  I have no idea how employers in any country could get away with making such rules.  In essence, what they are doing is deliberately disadvantaging women who need glasses to see clearly.  It is selfish, discriminatory and downright misogynistic in the extreme.

Not everyone can wear contact lenses either so the choice for many women then, is zero.

Some things never change even in this, the 21st century!

[imastawka]

It certainly doesn't sit well with me.

But the Japanese are a nation of perfectionists.  They will only import the straightest

of beans and cucumbers, and their lunch boxes for kindergarten kids is ridiculous.

This Australian lady was shamed by the other mothers and the teacher for her child's lunch.

"Sandwiches," the teacher told me, "are not appropriate because they are not healthy."

He took out his phone and up flashed a picture of my son's school lunch.

Together we peered at the image: two wholemeal vegemite sandwiches (the jar had been carefully, lovingly, carried to Tokyo from Sydney), a banana, a cheese stick, slices of capsicum and carrot and a home-made muffin.

Much better to spend hours before school to prepare this -

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-20/japan-chara-ben-bento-preschool-lunch/11107838

[springyzone]

I think I was most shocked that such a rule could even see the light of day in a country such as Japan.

I suppose it's a lesson that socially, values can differ an awful lot between countries, even those we might think of as fairly modern or progressive.

the good news is i don't think all the women in Japan are meekly accepting it, it is coming under fire.

[springyzone]

---

@imastawka wrote:

It certainly doesn't sit well with me.

But the Japanese are a nation of perfectionists. 

------------------------------------

Very interesting article.

I agree, they do seem to have a different cultural outlook but it's a shame they are not a nation of perfectionists when it comes to the men. I'd like to see glasses banned for them too & see how long that lasted.

PS One thing I noticed was the Japanese teacher getting involved in the food discussion. Just recall that when i was working as a teacher, I really didn't want to be in the process of monitoring what parents sent or how they wrapped it. My only concern was if they didn't have a meal at all. 

[myoclon1cjerk]

The above article from the U.S.A where discrimination doesn't exist. 😄

https://www.wired.com/story/how-algorithm-favored-whites-over-blacks-health-care/

[myoclon1cjerk]

Or here for that matter

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4517.0~2018~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%...

[springyzone]

That one's a hard one myoclon, as the program wasn't set up to discriminate between blacks & whites. It was based on future health costs (which it seems to have been able to predict accurately) rather than actual medical conditions as such. That's where the downfall was. By offering extra support programs, they then hoped to potentially lower the health costs in the future, so it was an intervention program but because of the algorithym used, it missed some of its target.

But at least the faults in the system there are coming to light and will probably be addressed. We can hope so anyway.

[springyzone]

---

@myoclon1cjerk wrote:
Or here for that matter

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4517.0~2018~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%...

---

The indigenous numbers went up 5%,  but the non indigenous numbers were also up 4%, so not much difference there.

The main problem I think is that the indigenous people are committing the crimes, that's why they have a prison sentence.

If you commit a crime such as breaking & entering or if you violently assault someone, I don't believe yoiu should be let off lightly because of your skin colour. Same laws for everyone, in my book.

What needs addressing is the living conditions/education etc. Unfortunately, quite a few aboriginal children are not being brought up in the best of conditions by their parents and simply dropping a bucket of money on them won't help. Complex problem, but i think the numbers in jail just reflects the end result of the problem, which revolves around poverty.

Indigenous people are entitled to apply for jobs the same as anyone else, but all too often, they haven't the education or skills needed. It's not discrimination if you don't hire someone who hasn't the skills. So I think that is where we need to start if we are to improve their lot. Getting them skilled up.