Over 50% of assemblywomen in Japan have been sexually harassed, survey suggests
In yet another sign of deep-rooted sexism in Japan, more than 50 percent of local assemblywomen who responded to a recent survey said they had been sexually harassed while on duty.
The Alliance of Feminist Representatives (AFER), a nationwide group of female politicians that advocates for the introduction of gender quotas for elected officials, said 52 percent of people who responded to its survey on sexual discrimination indicated they had been targeted by sexual harassment at least once.
The activist group polled local assemblywomen across the country last summer in the wake of an incident in June 2014, in which Ayaka Shiomura, a 35-year-old Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member, suffered sexist heckling during an assembly session. The group released a brochure on the results on Aug. 1, after following up with the repondents.
Of the 600 female assembly members across Japan contacted by the group, 143 completed the written survey. Seventy-four said they had been sexually harassed, while 67 said they had been offended by their male counterparts.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/13/national/politics-diplomacy/50-assemblywomen-japan-sexually-harassed-survey-suggests/#.Vc1_330VjMp
