TOKYO: Japan’s Cabinet Office has made a checklist and a collection of case examples to help raise the public’s awareness about unconscious biases based on gender at the workplace and home.

The Cabinet Office hopes that the materials, published online, will be used widely at local governments, private companies and schools.

In a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office in August, 76.3 pct of respondents said they have an unconscious bias. It showed that both men and women have stereotypes, such as “men should work” and “women should do housework.

The checklist has 23 boxes on various situations, including “men should do big business negotiations” and “women should take care of their parents.”

A person who checks any one of the boxes is considered that they have an unconscious bias.

In the case example collection, the Cabinet Office explains the survey’s results using bar graphs. Also included are explanatory comments by experts so the material can be easily used in classes and training.

The Cabinet Office plans to hold seminars on unconscious biases for local governments across Japan from fiscal 2022 starting next April.

Awareness about unconscious biases “is beginning to change in the younger generation, but some biases have been taken over,” a Cabinet Office official said. “We want to work further to eliminate them.”

JIJI Press