Sayaka Osakabe

Sayaka Osakabe receives the International Women of Courage Award in 2015.

Sayaka Osakabe (Japanese: 小酒部 さやか; born 1978) is a Japanese magazine editor and women's rights activist.[1][2] She went to court because of Japan's Equal Opportunities law. The government decided that discrimination against women because of pregnancy is illegal. In 2015, the U.S State Department gave Osakabe the International Women of Courage Award. [3][4]

Life

Sayaka Osakabe was born in Japan in 1978.[1] She had a job as a magazine editor. She became pregnant, so she asked her boss for shorter work hours. Osakabe's boss wanted her to quit her job. Osakabe was pregnant twice and she lost the baby twice. Then Osakabe asked for a leave of absence so she could leave her job to become pregnant, then return to the job. Her boss refused. Osakabe quit her job, but she took her case to a labor tribunal. In June, 2014, Osakabe won her case. [5]

Work

Osakabe started a support group called Matahara Net. The word comes from the English words "maternity and harassment". [6] The word "matahara" is now a legal term.[7][8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Stewart, Devin (January 29, 2015). Abenomics Meets Womenomics. Foreign Affairs. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/features/letters-from/abenomics-meets-womenomics. Retrieved 14 March 2015. 
  2. "AWIU » 2015 IWOC Awardees". Archived from the original on 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  3. "Biographies of 2015 Award Winners".
  4. https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/05/state-department-honors-international-women-of-courage
  5. Okabayashi, Sawa (4 October 2014). Women joining hands to combat 'maternity harassment' at work. The Asahi Shimbun. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201410040022. Retrieved 14 March 2015. 
  6. Tomisawa, Ayai; Ando, Ritsuko (25 September 2014). "Women fight maternity harassment in the shadow of 'Abenomics'". The Japan Times. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/09/25/national/women-fight-maternity-harassment-shadow-abenomics/#.VQRjT-E5vrg. Retrieved 14 March 2015. 
  7. Okunuki, Hifumi (23 September 2013). "Matahara: turning the clock back on women's rights". The Japan Times. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/09/23/issues/matahara-turning-the-clock-back-on-womens-rights/#.VQYcteE5vrg. Retrieved 15 March 2015. 
  8. "2015 International Women of Courage Award Winners - International Women of Courage Celebration". Archived from the original on 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2017-02-15.

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