National Women’s Education Center of Japan

　A midst societal changes like declining birthrates and aging populations in many countries, family structures and life courses are diversifying, yet women still disproportionately bear the burden of caregiving responsibilities such as housework, childcare, and elder care. This unequal distribution of care responsibility hinders women's economic independence significantly. To address this issue, NWEC organized a seminar on the theme of "Gender Equality and Care", which featured international research, a case study and a panel discussion on men and care, both on-demand and in live-streaming formats. There were about four hundred participants from Japan and overseas.

　In the international research segment, Wessel van den Bergh (Senior Advocacy Officer at Equimundo) reported on a globally expanding campaign encouraging men to actively participate in childcare.
　Eunji Kim (Senior Researcher at the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI)) presented on the background of South Korea's rapidly declining birthrate trend and policy on childcare services.
　As the international case study, James Itana (Executive Director of Regain Trust, an organization in Namibia) reported on male-led initiatives to address gender norms in Namibia, focusing on activities aimed at eradicating sexual violence and gender-based　violence.

　The panel discussion on the theme of 'Considering Care Towards the Formulation of the 6th Basic Plan for Gender Equality' was live-streamed on March 6th (Thursday) discussing care issues in Japan.
　Kimio Ito (Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University and Osaka University) gave a lecture titled 'Caregiving and Men,' where he argued that men themselves should recognize their dependence on women's caregiving, compensate for their lack of caregiving practices, and break away from a male-dominated society.
　Sumika Yamane (Professor, Faculty of Human and Social Studies, Jissen Women's University) spoke on 'Care Collaboration and Gender Equality, calling for liberation from the neoliberal individualism that demands perfection in both work and childcare. She advocated for increasing the number of male care workers and further strengthening public support for nursery school and after-school programs, and other similar services to ensure that care responsibilities are shared equally between men and women.
　Tomoya Teranishi (Managing Executive Officer, wiwiw, Inc.) presented 'Diverse Care and Career,' emphasizing how human capital management enhances corporate value.
　Second half of the panel discussion, panelists answered a stream of questions from participants, creating a real-time, interactive communication and unity, making it a lively and engaging event.