The problem of poverty is hidden in Japan, which is considered a rich country. However, poverty has been increasing not only in developing countries but also in economically advanced countries.
With the recent economic recession, low-paid and unstable employment as well as the burden of social security have been increasing. Women who are excluded from the main stream of the economy are suffering from poverty.
These women include solo mothers, elderly women, homeless women and migrant women, but it is very disappointing that the government's paper refers only to solo mothers.
There is a social security system in Japan, but the system does not work well for women and only a limited number of women are able to receive its benefits. Because of this, the system instead tends to create further poverty and discrimination against women. Women receive only half the amount of the employee pension of men, because the amount is based on wages and term of payment of premium.
Women's wages are very low, and the systems of wages, taxes, pensions and social security are all based on a family that has a husband as a breadwinner and a wife as a dependent. If a woman gets divorced, she has to face poverty.
