Altogether, 76% of all Japanese immigrants in Canada over the last two decades are women. Yuka Yamamoto Woods is one of the almost 14,000 women Japanese immigrants in Canada. The woman who arrived in Vancouver in 2006 said she feels freer living in Canada.
Canadian Visa Professionals reported that she first came to Canada on a working holiday, but became a permanent resident after some years. According to Yamamoto Woods, being a working mom in Canada is easier than in her home country, Japan. She added that most of her co-workers are mothers.
The Japanese Immigrant's Experience Back Home
Yamamoto Woods narrated that her husband helps with housework and child-rearing. According to her, this was unusual in Japan, as many women give up work once pregnant.
Yuka Yamamoto Woods described her ordeal back in Japan. As a child, she had always loved travelling, so at 19, she began her dream career as a ground staff member with an airline in Tokyo.
After about four years of long work hours, it dawned on her that becoming a mother while working would be unlikely. Being promoted also seemed like an impossible thing, reported Canadian Visa Professionals.
Yamamoto Woods came to this conclusion when she realized that most of the managers at her Tokyo airport were male. At the same time, most women on the job quit once they got pregnant. All these proved to her the extent of gender inequality in her home country.
Primary Reason for Influx of Japanese Women in Canada
The compelling reason for the high rate of Japanese women leaving their home country for Canada is the entrenched gender inequality in the country. One of the women, Yuka Yamamoto Woods, an early childhood facilitator in Metro Vancouver, said she is freer living in Canada.
