Maternity harassment, or matahara, is a growing problem in Japan today. According to a 2015 study by the Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, one in five working women experience some form of bullying, termination, or pressure to quit by employers once they become pregnant. And, as Cole Kavdin reports, “unless a woman takes her employer to court—which most don’t want to do—there are no penalties.”
Despite legislation making such practices illegal, enforcement is tricky because “traditional Japanese work ethic dictates employees work late into the night as a matter of common practice.”
