It was reportedly not "her turn" to be pregnant
A Japanese employee has been reprimanded by her boss for becoming pregnant before it was her “turn”.
According to The Telegraph, a Japanese employee was reprimanded by her boss for “selfishly breaking the rules” by becoming pregnant before it was her “turn”.
The unnamed woman was working at a private childcare centre in Aichi prefecture, north Japan.
Her pregnancy clashed with the ‘shifts’ created by the director of the childcare centre, which tells female staff when they are allowed to marry and fall pregnant.
“The director at the child care center where she works had determined the order in which workers could get married or pregnant, and apparently there was an unspoken rule that one must not take their ‘turn’ before a senior staff member,” wrote her husband in a letter to Mainich Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers.
He and his wife met with the director of the childcare centre to apologise about the pregnancy but the employee was still “chided” for “selfishly” breaking the rules.
“Childcare providers sacrifice their own children to care for the children of others,” the husband added. “It is a noble profession that nurtures children who will forge the future of this country.”
“I respect my wife for her commitment to her profession, and continue to encourage her. The conditions of those working to nurture and care for children are evidence of a backward country.”
Another woman who works as a female supervisor at a cosmetics company was told she was not allowed to have a child until the age of 35. The company issued an email to 22 of their female employees saying, “selfish behaviour will be subject to punishment.”
The woman said, “I already have trouble getting pregnant. How are they going to take responsibility if I put off getting pregnant and lose my chances to have children altogether?”