G7 gender equality meeting

Gender equality ministers of the Group of Seven nations called for correcting wage gaps between men and women by promoting flexible working styles as well as equitable and transparent pay policies.

They also stressed the need to shift perceptions of gender roles. The ministers issued a joint statement as they wrapped up their two-day meeting in the city of Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Sunday. The statement underlines the need for a comprehensive approach to close the long-standing gender pay gap, which it calls "a composite product" of structural factors.