matahara

Aya Kanihara and her son Ayumu. Kanihara is taking maternity leave from her job in a Hiroshima office.

Matahara: When pregnant women, new moms are harassed at work

Justice

A lawsuit has drawn the Japanese public’s attention to “matahara”: a word coined from the English “maternity harassment.” It refers to the practice of demoting or even laying off women when they become pregnant. It’s against the law in Japan, but still widespread. Advocates hope giving it a name will start to change that.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.