Japanese Women in Leadership

This edited book highlights the unique cultural and socioeconomic elements of Japan and the strong influence of those elements on women leaders in the nation. It shows that gender inequality and under-utilization of female talent are deeply rooted in Japanese society, explaining why Japan lags behind other countries in Asia in this regard. The contributors are expert academicians and practitioners with a clear understanding of Japanese women leaders' aspirations and frustrations. This book has critical implications for the development of women leaders in Japan, providing intriguing insights into developing the potential of highly qualified women leaders in diverse Japanese contexts in which traditional cultural expectations and modernized values coexist.

To provide leadership practitioners and researchers with comprehensive information on Japanese women in leadership To inform current and future leadership practitioners and researchers on how research should be more indigenous, particularly in a Japanese context To emphasize the importance of convergence (commonalities) and divergence (differences) in research on and practice in women in leadership in Japan To serve as a guidance text for practitioners and a research text for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses on Japanese women in leadership in HRD/HRM, management, leadership, Asia/Japanese studies, women's studies, and international relations, among others To serve as a basis for the development of a future research agenda for international comparison studies on women in leadership

Autorentext

Yoshie Tomozumi Nakamura is Assistant Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University, USA

Mayuko Horimoto is Associate Professor of Department of Education, Faculty of Letters at Toyo University, Japan.

Gary N. McLean is Professor on the PhD Program in Organization Development at Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Inhalt

1. The Status of Women Leaders in Japan: Challenges and Opportunities.- 2. Role of Women in Japan's Cultural Context.- 3. Challenges from Employment Systems Perspectives.- 4. Career Development and Educational Opportunities for Japanese Women Interested in Leadership.- 5. Government-Led Initiatives in Developing Women Leaders.- 6. Local Community-Led Initiatives in Developing Women Leaders.- 7. Leading Self: Motivation and Leader Identity by Women in Japan.- 8. Corporate Sector: Women Leaders in Traditional Japanese Companies.- 9. Corporate Sector: Foreign-Affiliated Companies.- 10. Women Business Leaders: An Examination of Small Businesses in Japan.- 11. Women's Representation and Political Leadership in National and Local Governance in Japan.- 12. Education Sector.- 13. Agriculture.- 14. Not-for-Profit Sector and Non-Governmental Organizations.- 15. Japan in an Asian Context.- 16. Japan in a Non-Asian Context.- 17. Synthesis - Convergence and Divergence: Practice, Sector, and International Perspectives.