(FUVEST - 2001 - 1a fase)Working women in Japan ar

(FUVEST - 2001 - 1a fase)

Working women in Japan are more likely to be married than not these days, a sharp reversal of the tradi-tional pattern. But for most of them, continuing to work after the wed-ding is an easier choice than having children. Despite some tentative attempts by government and business to make the working world and parenthood compatible, mothers say Japan’s business culture remains unfriendly to them. Business meetings often begin at 6 p.m. or later, long hours of unpaid overtime are expected, and companies routinely transfer employees to different cities for years. As a result, many women are choosing work over babies, causing the Japanese birthrate to fall to a record low in 1999----- an average 1.34 babies per woman----- an added woe for this aging nation.

THE WASHINGTON POST NATIONAL WEEKLY EDITION August 21, 2000

According to the passage, the majority of working women in Japan