Tokyo:
A couple who both worked at a Japanese University, have sued the institution, a court said on Thursday, allegedly allowed the husband to keep only an academic position after marrying.
Despite her highly educated female population, Japan is ranked 118th out of 146 in the Global Gender Gap Report of the 2024 World Economic Forum and female leaders are rare in Japanese trade and politics.
A law professor husband informed Dean at Miazaki Sangyo-Kai University in southern Japan, when she married in July, Asahi Shimbun and other local media outlets said on Wednesday.
However, Dean “expressed inconvenience and told her that the woman’s job contract would be suspended in late March”, Asahi said, cited the lawyer of the unknown couple.
The university said that there was an unwritten rule that two husband -wife should not work there as it was a small institution, public broadcaster NHK said.
The Miyajaki district court confirmed that the case was filed against the university and Dean last month.
A university spokesperson told AFP that the couple had “severe violation of rules”, but refused to comment further citing privacy concerns.
According to local broadcaster UMK, the couple also selected the university for divorce in an attempt to keep their jobs in the law faculty.
Even then the person was demoted for Associate Professor, while the woman, an assistant professor, was made a clerical officer, said by UMK.
“I felt that I was demanded to choose between marriage and career,” the woman said in television footage that her face was not shown.
He said, “I am very sad and very angry that the only university in the region with a law faculty, and that in support of the recruitment of female students and their career, a female teacher can incorrectly deprive his job and a sense of fulfillment,” he said.
The couple are demanding the restoration of their former positions.
(Tagstotranslate) No married couple
