Steve,

I am certain that you would know more about this
than I do. But I have read that in Japan corporate
heads and the government are finally coming to the
conclusion that one way to deal with the declining
size of the work force is to remove barriers to
women taking part in it. The idea, apparently,
is that it is less offensive to the Japanese to have
women in the work force than to open it up to
foreigners (which is the other alternative).
The article I read also mentioned that there
were moves afoot to provide more day care so that
women could continue in the workforce after
they have children.

Have you seen any of this evolution?

*sigh*

After decades of struggle just to get things more open for women in the US, now we're going to have to do it all over again ..... depressing.

I always enjoy reading you and reluctantly post because my comment is more seat of the pants but...
America used to attract the most of the highest talent from other nations precisely because those nations' cultures or businesses or governments did not allow or have room for their growth.
Maybe China's loss will be our gain. But of course we need to know what we're doing in immigration policy. And, of course we need to actually live up to the ideals we used to so proudly display to the rest of the world.

I was interested by the contrast between the feelings of this Taiwanese businessman and Mao's oft-quoted remarks about women's place on the "labor front" and equal pay for equal work. In my short experience in Taiwan and the PRC, it seemed to me that more women were in positions of responsibility in the PRC. If you've observed this as well, it might be worth examining how far the two Chinese cultures have diverged regarding women's roles dring the last 50-odd years.

Steve -- Your unconscious is working overtime in your quoting Huntington -- after his Foreign Affairs article last year about the Hispanic peril in his own traditionally white, English-speaking, Christian nation, followed up by a WSJ editorial about atheists being *tolerated* in American society.

It would be interesting to know more about the reality of employment both in PRC and Taiwan. Taiwanese films, for example, give one the impression that women, and especially young women, are rather emancipated. But that may be export-oriented.

"I have read that in Japan corporate
heads and the government are finally coming to the
conclusion that one way to deal with the declining
size of the work force is to remove barriers to
women taking part in it"

That is the trend, but the Government et. al. are way behind the curve. And for the 'very best talent', the curve is sharper. This is anecdotal, but practically all of the most talented ambitious Japanese women I knew when I lived over there at least seriously considered emmigration. At the very least 'seriously considered it', not 'idly dreamed about it'.

Women in USA have the privilege of working outside the home and making 75 cents for every dollar men earn. Elaine Chao seems to have made it in this country but not to care much about equal pay for women.

This is why Larry Summers should keep his trap shut. When prima facia evidence is that "culture-based" discrimination is responsible for much of the limit on the numbers of women who are not only employed in traditionally male-dominated professions, but even want to try to enter these professions, Summers should not be speculating about a theory that cannot possibly be tested even it were plausible.

But Summers's offense was not in just producing a hypothesis--that should not have caused anyone to faint and the question is indeed a legitimate one. No, Summers went much further and claimed that the biological differences that he assumed were at play were the primary reason for the difference in professional orientation of men and women toward science. Given Shih's statement, I'd say that Larry the Lip is full of shit.

As for Shih, I see his comment actually as an admission--if not an admission of complicity, at least an admission of collective responsibility. I wasn't there and Steve did not give the complete statement, but it sure sounds like an admission to me, rather than an affirmative statement. If the press actually picks it up, I wonder how they would treat it. If I were an editor, I'd make a broad headline, something like "Shih blames cultural pressures in shortsightedness of Asian companies toward women". OK, so it's a bit long for a headline.

However, if I wanted to sensationalize it and give fodder to wingnuts, I'd head it as "Shih tell women to stay at home". I don't think that was the message, but I wonder how many people might misinterpreted on the heals of the Summers affair.

Elaine Chao seems to have made it in this country but not to care much about equal pay for women.

Elaine Chao is married to Number One neocon in the country. Do you really think she cares? How do you think she got the job? [Hint: think "Clarence Thomas"]

Hey, Buck,

Of course, I know all about Mrs. McConnell. Politics makes strange bedfellows and strange love. Another Republican female former Secretary of DOL who married "well" twice is Ann McLaughlin Korologos. My problem, Buck, is that I just haven't learned yet how to stop worrying and love the Bush Bunch.

Linda

Steve,

Kudos for putting Stan Shih on the spot. But you put a lot of thought and effort into doing that; may we now hope that you will put some thought and effort into confronting, rather than dismissing, what he says about "Chinese society" ? What he says is (factually) true, and what he says is (ethically) wrong. The wronger you think it is, the less effective can it be to simply sneer at it.

Societies identify themselves by they way they define gender roles. What has played out in Iran since the late 1970s is largely an anti-feminist backlash--do not accuse me of oversimplification; I am talking about collective emotion, but collective emotion is all that matters.

The Christian-Fascist reaction into which the United States has fallen (and which, before it is over, will cost a hundred million lives and destroy the world's largest economy without trace) is also, from that standpoint, primarily an anti-feminist backlash.

If we are going to drain a swamp, shall we equip ourselves with the uttermost idealistic ethical contempt for mosquitos, or with some DDT?

Please let us get our own house in order before we take the chainsaw to other societies.

With US women making 75 cents for every male dollar, our pedestal is a little shaky still.

Equal rights and Equal pay for women.

And this stuns you how exactly? Try living in the rural south for a month.

What a bunch of nonsense (not your original comments Steve). This is exactly why Larry Summers' comments should NOT be criticized. They need to be discussed and debated. Of course, one must listen to or read the whole transcript to avoid taking Summers' sentences out of context.

In what way does PC action squelching open discussion help women? The zeal with which readers revert to stereotypes (about the South, Republicans) makes it clear the lack of desire to address real problems underlying much of the wage discrepancy issue in the US. What makes liberals think that these are red state . . . or Southern . . . or Republican based problems. Can only women discuss this issue? If a male makes a point that a feminist disagrees with, will he get shouted down by the PC police?

Someone told me that this Larry Summers guy worked for an administration with a lot of other white guys. (Was that Reagan or Bush he worked for?) Last time I checked, Harvard was also in a blue state.

Comments recently made by Susan Estrich to Michael Kinsley make it clear that this issue is NOT a red state or "Christian-Fascist" issue. Susan Estrich whimpers: "It is with great regret that I send you this message, asking you to help me in fighting blatant sex discrimination at The Los Angeles Times." (Please note, the LA Times is not a sister publication to the Washington Times.)

Steve,s tact seems rather straight forward and problem oriented, and he is clear in his desire to have some cultures catch up to our (still imperfect) business climate. But to the Blame America crowd (and Steve, you are excluded on this one), I say grow up. Come up with solutions. Hysterical comments don't help anyone . . . unless perhaps you want to get an op-ed published in the LA Times.

Dear Steve,

Your website is great, and I always enjoy reading them in Japan, where I live. I believe Japan is really starting to change in terms of women's place in society. Many Japanese women now choose not marry or not have children, and they tend to work and live with their parents. And I think US pressure was one of the reasons for the changes occurring, so thanks to you. My father, who owns a company, used to say it was hard for him to hire women, because even if he believed in the equal treatment, they always end up quitting by the time they are 30. But I am starting to see change in that also. I know so many Japanese women working or starting up businesses now, even when they are married and have children. Maybe not as much as US, but I think it is getting better.

I remember your post about how Japan has difficulty admitting to the horrible treatment of Asian countries during Japanese occupation and WWII, and I am writing below in reply to that, personally. My company works closely with Taiwan, Hong Kong, and S. Korea, and I see that there is a huge division between pro-China people and pro-Japan people. I grew up learning about the horrid acts we did to them (I remember seeing pictures of Japanese soldiers smiling and holding a cut-off head of Asian person in my 3rd grade class) and we are immensely ashamed of our past, but recently I hear about the positive things we did for them such as building infrastructure and other things that were just totally absent until Japan's occupation. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even S. Korea have significant number of pro-Japanese population. I am not saying this out of some patriotic thing for my country. But I think it is about time that these Asian countries move more towards democracy, and I think China and N. Korea is a real obstacle to that. The recent Japan bashing I think is more out of Chinese and N. Korean government policy to divert the people's attention outward.

I heard a rumor about the recent election in Taiwan... most people there apparently want a more democratic, independent future and voted accordingly but what influenced the outcome was all the businessman working in China and making the big money. They all live in China but came back for the election and voted pro-China.

Anyway, thank you for reading my post. I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,