Stop Job Hunting Discrimination With #ShukatsuSexism

Many young people in Japan entering the workforce face unfair treatment due to outdated company attitudes and hiring practices. Now, a group has launched a new petition to fight discrimination within the job-hunting culture.

Those who have tried finding a job as a foreigner in Japan may have noticed the strict conditions many Japanese shinsotsu (new graduates) and applicants must abide by to find a job. Similar to how a foreigner would never be treated like a regular applicant in a job interview, for many women and other under-appreciated candidates who don’t fit the “norm,” entering the Japanese job market can be a very challenging process. 

Job hunting in Japan is ridiculously difficult.

Almost all manuals and flyers printed and posted on the internet by recruitment consulting companies, suit companies, and educational institutes are strictly based on the gender binary theories of men and women. They specify how each gender must dress and behave when job hunting, suggesting that only those two genders are supposed to exist in this society.

Interview requirements are divided into categories for each gender. There is no in-between for anyone who identifies as non-binary. The instructions they give women are putting on makeup but not too much, wearing pantyhose that match their skin tone and putting on heels to show their shape, while men are told to cut their hair short and shave their faces. Everyone is required to wear monotonous black suits labeled as “for men” and “for women.” 

Applicants who don’t fit into any one category are immediately unable to perform at their full potential, and most importantly, deprived of their identity. Pantene released a commercial this year that discussed this topic, where voices from transgender people who suffered from this system discussed how they had no choice but to give up on their job hunting.

“How men and women should sit.”

The #ShukatsuSexism petition asks companies and educational institutions forcing outdated and uniformed job-hunting stereotypes based on gender binary theories to reassess and tailor their requirements for job hunters. Although the campaign is mainly for people living in Japan, the petition wants to voice the struggles to those outside of Japan to spread awareness to the wider community. 

The petition will be submitted to job hunting service providers, suit companies, universities /colleges co-operative stores and all higher educational institutions in Japan by March, 2021. Until then, you can find more information about the petition on their official Twitter and blog (Japanese only).

If you are interested or would like to share your own story, contact SSS (Smash Shukatsu Sexism) via email at shukatsusexism@gmail.com

Sign the petition here and share it with #ShukatsuSexism #就活セクシズム

Say YES to diversity and NO to gender discrimination. It’s time to unite together for a better future!