The Knowledge to Decide

Japanese women are increasingly pursuing professional aspirations but are being held back by rigid social norms that discourage mothers from working. However, as Japan realizes the important contribution that women can make to employment and innovation, social norms may be slowly changing. Is there a pathway to gender parity in Japan’s workplace? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts on Huffington Post, Japan – a globally acclaimed news portal. Only 10% of senior managerial positions are occupied by women, which is low when compared to comparable figures for the United States (42%) and France (38%). As in many other countries, women in Japan are often made to choose between their professional and personal lives in a way that men are not. Work-life balance is hard to sustain when they single-handedly take care of household responsibilities. Perera opined that Japan needs to overcome its societal norms about gender so as to b

Women farmers in Africa are quietly learning new technologies to increase their crop yield. For this, training is being provided in different rice farming technologies targeting three groups from the Saakoba Gbugli, Kukuo and Yipelgu communities. Successfully implemented in 15 West Africa states, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) initiative – through the Agriculture Technology Transfer project – will enable farmers to increase productivity. These groups were exposed to technologies for weed control, rows transplanting and the application of briquetted urea fertilizer on rice farms. The program has been a success so far due to NGO intervention efforts (on behalf of USAID) to overcome challenges. For instance, farmers are now aware of the correct way to apply fertilizer and methods to increase productivity levels through in-depth training sessions. Asia already benefitted from a Green revolution in the 1960s which enabled it to feed over 50%

In today’s world, many women wear two hats – as care-givers in the home and as breadwinners in the workplace. Many professional women aspire to develop their careers in the same way as men. Why then do so few women hold the position of CEO in large organizations? Spire Research and Consulting conducted a pro bono survey among women executives in China, Malaysia and India to understand the aspirations of professional women, the career impediments they face and what they feel should be done to overcome them. Our findings were published in the Japanese media: Yomiuri News, Yahoo News Japan, JChere News, Mynavi News, Shogakkan Biz Lady, Antenna, Livedoor, Excite and Ameba. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/flexibility-the-pathway-to-female-advancement-in-the-workplace/ The world is witnessing a dramatic social change that is still incomplete. Today’s women are more likely to hold a paid job and enjoy more economic freedom than women in previous generations. But this change

Women executives aspire to climb the corporate ladder, but child-care responsibilities have created a speed-bump. Significant minorities report experiencing discrimination and exclusion from “old boys networks” in China and India. Women would like to have more flexible working hours as well as being able to take a few years break from work and re-enter smoothly. These are the findings from a pro-bono survey conducted by strategic market research consultancy Spire Research and Consulting in October 2014. Spire’s survey of 300 female respondents holding executive and managerial positions in companies in China, India and Malaysia (100 per country) concentrated on the corporate aspirations of women, impediments they felt they faced and solutions they favored. The survey used a hybrid online and telephonic interviewing methodology. 98% of the women surveyed in India aspired to grow into a corporate leadership position. The comparable figure for both China (85%) and Malaysia (90%) is