13.Article 14 1
| (1) | Participation of women in decision-making process in rural area |
| Participation of women in decision-making process in the local agricultural industry is gradually increasing, although the situation is still at a low level. For example, women accounted for 0.66% of agricultural committee members (403 out of 61,010) in 1996, up from 0.06% (40 out of 64,080) in 1985. Women accounted for 13.3% of full (individual) members of agricultural cooperatives (718,955 out of 5,419,580) in 1996, up from 10.4% (574,000 out of 5,536,000) in 1985. | |
| In order to further improve the situation, it is necessary to establish a partnership under which men and women, regardless of sex, can take part in decision-making. To this end, the Government in 1997 began to promote an awareness-raising campaign involving men at home and local communities, formulate indexes and targets for increasing the ratio of women to the total number of board of directors at agricultural cooperatives, and evaluate their progress. |
13.Article 14 2(c)
| (1) | Farmers' Pension Scheme |
| Previously, only those farmers who had their own farmland were able to join the Farmers' Pension Scheme. But as a result of the revision of the Farmers' Pension Fund Law in April 1996, women who do not have their own farmland can be covered by the pension scheme if they conclude a "Family Business Agreement" and meet certain requirements, including that they are engaged in agricultural management. | |
| The revision of the law has not only made it possible for women to enjoy pension benefits but also raised their social status by recognizing them as members of agricultural management. |
13.Article 14 2(d)
| (1) | Technical and management guidance to farmers |
| Extension adviser stationed in regional agricultural extension offices visit farmers to offer advice on agricultural technology and management, provide information, set up fields for display, and hold seminars and training courses to comprehensively and systematically promote their activities. | |
| Specifically, they provide necessary agricultural technological guidance and information on management and funds to rural women who want to start farming. They offer wide-ranging information and management guidance to groups of women planning to start income generating activity, give advice on how to enter job journals and bookkeeping and how to analyze and diagnose business results based on the entry, and help improve working conditions. | |
| In FY 1995, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries began to supply funds to private organizations to start correspondence courses for rural women. At present, "Green Tourism Expert Training Course" and "Agricultural Labor Management Expert Training Course" are being offered. |
13.Article 14 2(e)
| (1) | Advancement of economic status of women |
| Whether or not women get a fair amount of wages or salary for their work is one of the yardsticks to gauge the degree of the advancement of economic status of women. In 1996, 72.6% of regular farm worker of women and 61.0% of women who are engaged in fishery full-time received a fair amount of wages or salary. This shows that nearly 30% of such women did not receive wages or salary. To have women's work evaluated properly and to advance their economic status, it is advisable for women to receive a proper amount of wages or salary. | |
| Therefore, the Government advocates the concluding of the family business agreements. This is an arrangement on the working conditions such as salary and days off and on work sharing, decided after discussions among family members engaged in farm management. | |
| (2) | Status of women workers without wages or salary in rural area |
| Proportion of women not receiving wages or salary in 1996 was 26.7% among regular farm worker of women and 39.0% among women who are engaged in fishery full-time. Apparently, continued efforts are being called for to raise the figures to properly evaluate women's work. |
13.Article 14 2(f)
| (1) | Promotion of women's participation in local community activities |
| In order to promote active participation of rural women in community activities in agricultural and fishing villages, it is important to promote awareness-raising campaigns involving men at home and local communities and to establish a partnership under which men and women, regardless of sex, can take part in the decision-making process. To facilitate the establishment of such partnership, the Government has implemented "Partnership Promotion Projects," under which it investigates the situation of women's participation in the management of agricultural cooperatives, agricultural committees, and land improvement districts, and sets up participation targets. |
13.Article 14 2(g)
| (1) | Financing for women |
| The Government provides information on management control and supports efforts to start income generating activity such as processing of agricultural products with a view to ensure the stability of business groups of rural women. It also extends interest-free loans from the agricultural improvement fund and the coastal fisheries improvement fund to supports group activities of women and the aged in agricultural and fishery villages. |
13.Article 14 2(h)
| (1) | Overall extension service of home economics |
| Extension service of home economics by the Government has produced considerable results and the gap in standard of living between urban and rural areas are disappearing. Therefore, the extension service is now directed more to improvement of agricultural work, coordination of farming and living plans, reactivation of rural areas, and problems related to production. |