日本における女性の政治参加の現状と課題

～G7サミットの機会を活用した市民社会による提言活動～

抄録

In Japan, women's political participation lags behind. The essence of democracy lies in respecting a wide range of citizens' opinions and values, and reflecting them in decision-making. The minimum percentage of people required to influence decision-making, known as the "critical mass," is said to be 30％. However, while the global average of female parliamentarians stands in the mid-26％ range, the proportion of female members in the Japanese House of Representatives is only 10.3％, the lowest among the G7 nations. Despite women constituting 51.3％ of Japan's population and 51.7％ of eligible voters, the skewed male representation in the legislature makes it challenging to assert that discussions are appropriate and equitable. This makes it difficult to incorporate women's perspectives and opinions into legislation and policies.

Therefore, this document discusses the current state of women's political participation in Japan, the government's efforts to promote it, the obstacles hindering women's political involvement, and, in the context of the 2023 G7 Summit held in Japan, the advocacy activities of civil society, with a focus on the official engagement group Women7 (W7).

Even if a country professes to have a "full democracy" and its government actively promotes gender equality, as seen in Japan, the low societal awareness of gender equality prevents an increase in the number of women in politics. Despite the situation where the number of female politicians falls short of the critical mass, civil society can effectively utilize platforms like the G7 to engage in dialogue with the government. In other words, to create a society where female politicians can thrive, civil society must actively challenge traditional gender roles, transform societal perceptions and structures, and take proactive measures to eliminate gender inequality. The active participation of civil society and the commitment of the government are expected to strengthen concrete policies and initiatives for gender equality, leading to their realization.