[Japan] Firms reconsider demand for resumes to specify gender

There may soon be a change to the requirement by many of Japan's firms for job applicants to indicate their gender, and even provide a photo, on resumes. The practice has left Japan out of step with the international norm but an online petition campaign emphasising that specifying gender can lead to discrimination has now collected over 10,000 signatures and at least one major company scrapped both requirements and also stopped asking for applicants' first names.

Experts reportedly say that identifying gender on resumes is something that is particularly problematic for transgender people and can often lead to obstacles getting hired. Minori Hori (31) - a resident of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan - is among those who have joined the drive for signatures, which the nonprofit group Posse has organised.

Hori is legally a woman but feels as if "I am neither male nor female." Hori said, "For someone like myself who is unable to circle male or female on a resume, I often face hardships about my ideal situation. Gender should have nothing to do with my job." Kyodo News explores the story with contributions from those for and against the change. (Quotes via original reporting) 

There may soon be a change to the requirement by many of Japan's firms for job applicants to indicate their gender, and even provide a photo, on resumes. The practice has left Japan out of step with the international norm but an online petition campaign emphasising that specifying gender can lead to discrimination has now collected over 10,000 signatures and at least one major company scrapped both requirements and also stopped asking for applicants' first names.

Experts reportedly say that identifying gender on resumes is something that is particularly problematic for transgender people and can often lead to obstacles getting hired. Minori Hori (31) - a resident of Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan - is among those who have joined the drive for signatures, which the nonprofit group Posse has organised.

Hori is legally a woman but feels as if "I am neither male nor female." Hori said, "For someone like myself who is unable to circle male or female on a resume, I often face hardships about my ideal situation. Gender should have nothing to do with my job." Kyodo News explores the story with contributions from those for and against the change. (Quotes via original reporting)