Women in Britain have joined a growing global chorus demanding Japan’s football supporters take their World Cup enthusiasm for gender equality back home. The call comes after Japanese fans earned praise for cleaning stadiums during the tournament, but critics argue the same spirit must apply to tackling deep-seated sexism in Japanese society.
Sarah Jenkins reports.
Japan’s men’s team may have been knocked out of the World Cup, but their fans have won hearts worldwide for tidying up after matches. Yet for many women in Japan and beyond, the gesture rings hollow when set against the country’s persistent gender inequality.
“It’s great they clean up, but what about cleaning up the mess at home?” said Keiko Tanaka, a Tokyo-based activist. “Japanese women do 80% of unpaid care work. We need men to pick up a mop at home, not just in stadiums.”
Her sentiments are echoed across the UK, where campaigners have seized on the moment to push for a global gender equality drive. “Respect shouldn’t stop at the turnstile,” said Claire Miller, a Bristol mother of two. “If they can respect the stadium, they can respect women.”
The UK government has signalled support. Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “We welcome the positive behaviour of Japanese fans, but true progress means challenging inequality everywhere. We urge our allies to follow the UK’s lead on shared parental leave and equal pay.”
Japan ranks 116th out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index, far behind the UK at 22nd. Japanese women earn 23% less than men, and only 5% of corporate board seats are held by women.
Yet British campaigners are wary of preaching. “We have our own problems,” said Rupa Patel of the Fawcett Society. “UK women still face a 14% pay gap. The call to ‘do it at home’ applies to us all.”
The World Cup moment has sparked an unlikely alliance. British trade unions are planning to write to their Japanese counterparts, urging joint action on workplace equality. Meanwhile, fans in both countries have started a social media campaign: #DoItAtHomeToo.
Yuki Kobayashi, a Japanese student in London, welcomed the initiative. “We clean the stadiums to show pride. Now we must show that pride in our homes and workplaces. This is a chance for real change.”
Whether the hashtag becomes a movement remains to be seen. But for women on both sides of the world, the message is clear: the clean-up starts at home.
