Japan, a stronglymasculine society in the Hofstede (1980) framework, is characterized by strong adherence toward gender roles in society and theworkforce (Renshaw1999).Although there is evidence of some change (Adler and Israeli 1994), substantial challenges remain with respect to robust integration of women into the workforce. In addition to lower employment
levels, compared tomany other developed economies, Japanese women are subject to one of the largest gender wage gaps in the industrialized world, earning, on average, approximately 66.5% of what their male counterparts earn (Yuasa 2005). In addition, women in Japan continue to be seriously underrepresented inmanagerial ranks, especially in large companies.