Participating in “W society,” a project to design female empowerment! An awareness campaign to understand your own “body today” has also launched 🍳

Hello. This is Iguchi from the Social Good Promotion Office 🍃

To jump right in, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP is currently extremely active!

On August 30, we began recruiting for Social Good Ventures (CVC), and on September 13, our new company Good&Co., Inc. commenced operations 👍

With the slogan “One thing I can do,” SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP will continue to steadily support and promote SDGs and social good initiatives ✊

And today, Tuesday, September 21, we launched “W society,” a project that designs female empowerment from both physical/mental (W) and social (society) perspectives! SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP is participating in this social participation project involving cross-industry, public-private, and academic collaboration.

■ Click here for the news page
Launching “W society,” a project to design female empowerment from both physical/mental (W) and social (society) perspectives
https://ssug.co.jp/news/2021/09/21/wsociety/

It has been about two months since I joined this project in July, and I am surprised every day by how much I still don’t know about my own body.

I would like to introduce some surprising data regarding women and aspects of society from my perspective as a 23-year-old (She/her) in a relatable way ✏️

1. Japan’s Gender Gap Index is surprisingly low!?

According to the “Gender Gap Index (published by the World Economic Forum in 2021),” Japan ranks 120th out of 156 countries.

Thinking of it as being the 37th worst out of 156 countries, sadly, there is nothing but room for improvement… I used to wonder since I was a child why talking about sex is considered taboo even though people love talking about romance. Now that I am a working professional, while I feel an update in values among friends of my generation, it feels like things still haven’t changed much compared to our parents’ generation.

For example, I added (She/her) to my profile earlier; does anyone know what this means? Perhaps those in Gen Z have seen it before…

The answer is “pronouns,” a style of self-identifying how you wish to be referred to, which has spread with the mainstreaming of LGBTQ+ awareness.

These are pronouns that have been trending and becoming established in the West since 2018. Generally, they include “she/her” for those whose gender identity or expression is female, “he/him” for those who are male, and “they/them” for non-binary individuals who do not fit into the female/male framework.

To respect one another and live happily, it seems important to start by narrowing the gender gap and learning about the diverse forms of gender 🌱

2. Japan is the world’s leading nation for fertility treatment!? Ranked 1st in the world for the number of IVF procedures

According to surveys, Japan is the world’s leading nation for fertility treatment, with over 450,000 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cases annually. Despite having about twice as many procedures as the United States, the birth rate is less than half.

While our treatment technology is said to be world-class, we live in a society where the “range of life plan choices” often narrows without us even realizing it.

Actually, there is a test called the AMH test* where you can find out the number of remaining eggs just by taking a blood sample. Some of you might wonder, “Wait, what do you mean by ‘remaining eggs’!?”
*Anti-Müllerian Hormone test: A blood test that reflects ovarian reserve (an estimate of the number of follicles remaining in the ovaries).

That’s right; women actually have the most eggs at birth, and the number never increases as they age…! This was a fact I never encountered in my 23 years of life until I learned it through W society (I wish I had learned this in health and physical education class…).

SUNNY SIDE UP is said to be perhaps the first private company in Japan to establish a subsidy system for egg freezing as a welfare benefit. Since more than half of our members are female, we have built an image as a company where women find it easy to work. As we also handle many PR projects related to the Femtech business, new information regarding body concerns and health checkups frequently circulates within the company.

Even so, the sense of personal relevance is completely different before and after learning about the existence of the AMH test. Knowing the estimated time limit for my eggs became an opportunity for me to think about my future life plan, such as where I might want to be in two years.

3. One in 14 Japanese people is born through IVF!?

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, approximately one in every 40-person classroom is born through IVF (https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/medical/20210914-OYT1T50152/amp/).

Among those around me, there are people who have experienced childbirth using styles considered new, such as painless delivery or water birth.

Setting aside the pros and cons, my personal way of thinking is shifting toward the idea that experiencing pain during labor or breastfeeding might not be everything… I would be happy if parents and children could grow together in a healthier way rather than through self-sacrifice.

Just as options for menstruation have recently expanded beyond pads to include tampons, menstrual cups, Mirena, the pill, and absorbent underwear, there may still be options I don’t know about regarding pregnancy, childbirth, work styles, and how to balance them all!

I am spending my days feeling a little excited about such a future 🤝

Aiming for a society where all women can lead a fulfilling lifestyle they are satisfied with.

With the support of Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), which endorsed this mission, the W society Executive Committee will work with members gathered from across various corporations, including Roche Diagnostics, a world-leading biotech company actively working on AMH testing, Panasonic System Solutions Japan, and Unilever Japan Holdings.

The first phase of this exciting project is… “egg week,” an awareness campaign themed around knowing my “body today” 🐣

I will introduce more details in this blog later! Please also check the official website here!

W society Official Website (https://wsociety.jp/)
egg week Homepage (https://eggweek.com/)