{"id":66718,"date":"2026-08-24T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T23:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norimen.net\/?p=66718"},"modified":"2026-08-23T00:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:48:59","slug":"men-and-women-should-both-be-able-to-work-but-there-are-distortions-in-the-laws-and-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norimen.net\/en\/%e7%94%b7%e5%a5%b3%e3%81%af%e5%85%b1%e3%81%ab%e5%83%8d%e3%81%91%e3%81%b0%e3%81%84%e3%81%84%e3%81%ae%e3%81%ab%e6%b3%95%e4%bb%a4%e5%89%87%e3%81%ae%e3%82%86%e3%81%8c%e3%81%bf%e3%81%af%e3%81%82%e3%82%8b\/","title":{"rendered":"Men and women should both be able to work, but there are distortions in the laws and regulations (from a labor safety consultant at Dojima River)"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
When Working Women Face Legal Barriers.<\/h3>\n
In places that used to be lumped together under the term \u201cblue-collar,\u201d we\u2019re seeing more and more women working up a sweat, operating heavy machinery, and poring over blueprints.<\/p>\n
This is something I actually heard someone say, but, \n\"It makes me happy to see the work I've done preserved on a map.\" \n\"Bridges are pretty cool, aren't they?\" \nI think it's really cool.<\/p>\n
I see this all over the place, but, \nWomen's Participation in the Workforce \nGender Equality \nA Radiant Society \nThat's how people are cheering them on.<\/p>\n
However, that doesn't apply to every job.<\/p>\n
No matter how much they want to work, there are times when an \u201cinvisible, massive wall\u201d appears right in front of them.<\/p>\n
The Distortion That Says, \u201cIt\u2019s OK to Be the One Who Makes Plans, but Not the One Who Does the Hard Work\u201d<\/h3>\n
There are still some unreasonable rules in force within the laws and regulations. \nA typical example might be a \u201ctunnel work\u201d site, such as a tunnel. \nTunnel construction today is vastly different from how it used to be; it is evolving into a \u201csmart\u201d environment where massive, state-of-the-art heavy machinery operates and excavation proceeds safely via remote control. \nIt seems that even for industries struggling with labor shortages, the addition of this new workforce of women is very welcome.<\/p>\n
Labor Standards Act<\/h3>\n\n
\n
(Restrictions on Underground Work) \nArticle 64-2<\/strong>\u3000An employer shall not assign women falling under any of the following items to the duties specified in those items. \n\u4e00<\/strong>\u3000Pregnant women and women who have not yet reached one year since giving birth and who have notified their employer that they will not engage in work performed underground<\/strong>\u3000All work performed underground<\/strong> \n\u4e8c<\/strong>\u3000Other than the women listed in the previous issue,Women 18 years of age or older<\/strong>\u3000Among the operations conducted underground, excavation work performed by hand and otherWork deemed harmful to women as defined by an ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>Labor Standards Act<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
What does \u201cas specified by an Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare\u201d in paragraph 2 mean?<\/h3>\n
I often hear people say that laws and regulations are a hassle because they keep changing this way and that. \nYou're absolutely right. \nThe items specified by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Ordinance are as follows.<\/p>\n\n
\n
(Scope of Restrictions on Underground Work)<\/strong> \nArticle 1<\/strong>\u3000The duties specified by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare under Article 64-2, Item 2 of the Labor Standards Act (hereinafter referred to as the \u201cAct\u201d) are as follows. \n\u4e00<\/strong>\u3000Work involving the manual excavation or extraction of earth, stone, or minerals (hereinafter referred to as \u201cminerals, etc.\u201d) \n\u4e8c<\/strong>\u3000Operations involving the excavation or mining of minerals and other materials using mechanical power(Excluding those performed remotely.)<\/strong> \n\u4e09<\/strong>\u3000Operations involving the excavation or extraction of minerals, etc., using blasting \n\u56db<\/strong>\u3000Work performed in conjunction with operations such as the excavation or mining of minerals, including the transport of earth, materials, etc., or the placement of concrete for lining(Excluding the preparation of plans, process management, quality control, safety management, security management, and other technical management tasks related to the excavation or mining of minerals, etc., as well as the technical guidance and supervision of persons engaged in the excavation or mining of minerals, etc., and persons engaged in tasks incidental to such excavation or mining.)<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>Regulations on Labor Standards for Women<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In fact, the law has also \u201cprogressed.\u201d<\/h3>\n
It has been determined that female \"engineers (supervisors)\"\u2014who perform tasks such as remote-controlled excavation, tunnel planning, construction management, and safety inspections\u2014can enter the mine and work there without any issues.<\/p>\n
However, \n\"I'm going to pour concrete on-site, too!\" \n\"As a craftsman (skilled worker) who hauls materials, I'm out there on the front lines, getting my hands dirty!\" \nJust because a woman raises her hand doesn't mean the law will say yes. \nIt says, \u201cPeople who do the actual work can\u2019t do it because they\u2019re women.\u201d \nWomen in management roles are okay, but women who do the hard physical work on the front lines are not.<\/p>\n
I feel like there's a strange disconnect here, as if I were looking at some kind of distorted mosaic.<\/p>\n
Am I being protected, or am I being kept at a distance?<\/h3>\n
Of course, the law isn't rejecting them out of malice. \nThe underlying rationale is the noble cause of \u201cprotecting mothers.\u201d \nCouldn\u2019t this be seen as a form of kindness\u2014an effort to protect women from heavy labor and harmful environments, taking into account the medical implications for their bodies and their future pregnancies and childbirth?<\/p>\n
However, I feel that today\u2019s construction sites have become mechanized, evolving from the \u201clife-threatening physical labor\u201d of the past to \u201cwork that relies on skill and teamwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
If laws intended to protect them have, without anyone realizing it, ended up robbing them of the career choice to say, \u201cThis is how I make a living,\u201d then it seems to me that this is not \u201cprotection\u201d in the true sense of the word, but rather \u201cexclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with the change in the law, there are still things missing<\/h3>\n
For example, even if this law were amended tomorrow\u2014so that \u201canyone could freely take the stage based on their own merit\u201d\u2014I don\u2019t think that would solve the problem either.<\/p>\n
In the world of workwear and protective gear, there are now more and more products designed to accommodate gender differences.<\/p>\n
But are there women's restrooms at a worksite deep in the mountains? \nWhere can I find a changing room where I can change clothes comfortably after working up a sweat? \nWe don't have that at my worksite.<\/p>\n
There are still many workplaces where the working environment has not been designed with women in mind. \nThanks in part to increased government subsidies, large construction sites often feature comfortable restrooms and even hot showers, but the reality is that this isn\u2019t the case for jobs that involve moving from place to place every day\u2014such as repair work, surveys, and inspections that are completed in just a few days.<\/p>\n
We just need to chip away at the legal barriers.<\/h3>\n
I feel that women's issues are currently at a major turning point. \nIt seems to me that the laws and regulations simply haven\u2019t kept pace with those voices and the speed at which working conditions are improving.<\/p>\n
Starting in April 2026, the Act on Promotion of Women\u2019s Participation in the Workforce will undergo further changes, ushering in an era in which many companies will be strictly required to disclose the extent of the gender pay gap. \nSociety is seriously pressuring companies to \"eliminate inequality.\" \nBut isn't the real issue here something other than just making the numbers add up?<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t it important to bridge the gap between construction workers\u2014who love the job site, wear hard hats, and try to fend for themselves\u2014and laws and regulations that seem stuck in the Showa era?<\/p>\n
I don't think any of you are just looking for \"special treatment.\"<\/p>\n
I, too, hope that gender differences won\u2019t be an issue, and that we can all work on equal terms and be recognized equally.<\/p>\n
The Reality as Seen Through the Lens of Workplace Accidents<\/h3>\n
However, there are certain realities that we simply cannot avoid addressing. \nAmong work-related accidents resulting in at least four days of absence, approximately 481 TP3T of falls occurred among women in their 50s or older, and of those, about 701 TP3T resulted in fractures.<\/p>\n
That said, I don\u2019t mean to say, \u201cDon\u2019t work.\u201d Rather, I think if we could focus on creating workplaces where accidents are less likely to occur\u2014regardless of who the employee is\u2014it would be easier for everyone, regardless of gender, to work there.<\/p>\n
![\"Dojima](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/rectangle_large_type_2_825007b7430d47228f61442b22d256ab-scaled.webp\")
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