A Japanese government report on inequality published in June found that 27% of young women want to leave their hometowns, compared to 15% of young men — and rigid gender roles in rural society are prompting young women to vote with their feet.

The survey shows that most women move to the cities in search of better employment opportunities — but there’s a gender angle to that, too. Widespread expectations that women will prioritize housework and childcare also diminish young women’s educational prospects, motivating them to leave rural areas. 

In rural communities, “women are stuck in temporary or part-time jobs and only men get promoted. Women don’t want to work in these places, so they move to Tokyo,” says Chuo University sociologist Masahiro Yamada.

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