Rie Matsumoto and Sophiya Gugelev are two significant figures in supporting business between Japan and Israel. Although they entered into the same vocation, they have walked completely different paths. As women who fought against the grain in overwhelmingly male-dominated businesses and established the Israel Japan Women Network in 2018, Rie and Sophiya shared their insights and advice for younger generations of women looking to make it in their respective fields.
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Contrasting Backgrounds
Rie Matsumoto dreamed of becoming an engineer during a time when gender roles were much more pronounced than today. Despite the stigma from older generations, the loving support of her family helped her to continue her studies. Rie graduated from the University of Tokyo with a master’s degree in Information Science and Technology, and soon after began working for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Rie was exceptional at engineering, but she also had a desire to solve social issues, specifically pertaining to the implementation of new technologies into society. In 2015, Rie received an offer to work that would fulfill her wish: a position at the Embassy of Japan in Israel.
“Israel is known as a center of innovation, the Silicon Valley of the middle east. After my assignment, I spoke with many people in the technology field on my experiences in Israel, and they were envious that I was able to work in Israel.”
Despite the tempting offer, Rie also understood that she had family, friends, and a partner that she would need to live apart from if she accepted. However, just as they supported her career choice, they stood by her choice to go to Israel. And so, Rie began her work at the Embassy.
Contrary to Rie, Sophiya was living in Israel but had a desire to work with Japan. Sophiya graduated from the University of Haifa with a Master’s degree in Japanese studies and started off her career working as a manager of the education & event department in a Japanese museum in Israel.
“We only had one tour guide when I started, I worked to build the department from the ground up. By the time I left, the museum had 20 tour guides and 15 Japanese teachers that taught various Japanese arts such as calligraphy, Japanese language, cuisine, and more.”
Sophiya then moved on to work as the manager of the Israel-Japan Friendship Society and Chamber of Commerce, with a focus on delegations between the two countries, as well as the promotion of business relationships.
The Glass Ceiling: Inequality in the workplace
Rie and Sophiya have worked in both Israel and Japan. As leading women with international work experience, they are deeply familiar with the inequality females face in many companies. Rie refers to it as the glass ceiling.
“There is a global problem known as the glass ceiling. Women join companies, and with hard work can make it to a certain point, but there is an invisible barrier that keeps them in that position.”
Sophiya adds.
“There are almost no women in Japanese delegations. We have worked with so many business leaders in Japan and Israel, and there were almost no women that were directing the meetings.”
Sophiya also emphasized on the importance of women having freedom of choice.
“Women should be able to pursue a career without having to compromise on having children. Oftentimes women are forced to either choose a career or a child, because the support system for the mothers is not enough for them to pursue their work. (regarding Japan) The situation is much better in Israel, partly related to IDF service that is mandatory also for women. “
This difficult situation is far more common in Japan compared to Israel, mainly because of the laws regarding maternity leave. In Israel, if a woman is on maternity leave, it is stated in law that she cannot lose her position in the company. Someone can substitute, but once the mother returns to work, she has the right to return to the position she had before she left.
“Because there is no law like this, it is difficult for Japanese woman to have families, as they could easily lose their position while on their maternity leave”
Bridging the gap for future generations
Both Sophiya and Rie believe that female empowerment has come a long way. Sophiya and Rie are leading by example by thriving in a male dominated industry, panting the way for future generations. Their advice?
Sophiya says, “Take the time to find out what you like. Once you have figured that out, it is important to stick to that, as there are so many societal expectations that go against what you love.”
A major part of societal expectations are also the old gender roles that still influence people to work a different career than they initially dreamed of. As a woman with an engineering background, Rie spoke of not letting pressures change your dreams.
“I was fortunate with supportive parents of my dreams, but many women still face judgement and bias going into male dominated fields, as well as males trying to work in female-dominated fields. I hope more people will continue on with the career path that they love.”
