Gender Inequality in Japan from a Linguistic PerspectiveIntroduction Japan is often described as the most developed and westernized country in Asia and with its economy being the third largest in the world, lagging behind the United States and China (Nagano 2014) – faces many of the same problems those of us in the West are familiar with. One of these problems, which is not limited to the Western world and disadvantages around half the population, is that of sexism and gender equality. Since ideas, beliefs and stereotypes are all spread through language, the Japanese language itself is believed to be the biggest contributor to sexist notions. In the following essay I will examine the roots of the modern Japanese woman and modern feminine language; in Gulliver's (2012) case studies of modern women living in Japan in the period between the two world wars, Gulliver notes the traditional restraint placed on women in both their professional lives and their self-expression. Because of these boundaries, many women primarily performed tasks around the house, and if they had careers, most women turned to writing novels, which was done at home. The expectation that women be stay-at-home mothers and wives is still widespread in Japan today (Nagano 2015). From an employment perspective, the greatest example of gender inequality in Japan can be seen in the low percentage of professional women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Female scientists trained in STEM represent only 13.8% of the workforce (Homma et al. 2013). This is the lowest among developed countries. Surveys conducted suggest that women are less likely to pursue careers in STEM disciplines due to a lack of female authority in the area, as well as an unconscious bias on the part of male scientists when evaluating female colleagues (Homma et al. Efforts by feminist groups and youth movements are challenging the social expectations placed on them and are rejecting outdated Japanese concepts of femininity, altering the language used by them and about them submissive, delicate and innocent. move towards a more assertive and authoritative female identity. Such a change will make concepts such as a woman's duty to be a “good wife and a wise mother” obsolete and will grant them more opportunities in their lives..