How much do young Japanese people actually experience and appreciate gender equality? Does Japan's next generation, the children and young people who will be building the future, recognize their and others' rights, or do they have a true understanding of equality and freedom? This question doesn't just involve the younger generation. Do we, as citizens of Japan, have the skills to stand equally with various people to help each other and overcome issues democratically?

Recently, the Government of Japan's Cabinet Office released the results from "A Public-Opinion Survey Regarding Gender Equality in Society" (conducted in August 2007).

The number of people taking an affirmative position on a gender-based division of labor, meaning men work outside the home while women take care of the household, has been decreasing every year, and more and more people view the validity of a gender-based division of labor as questionable. More women than men, and more young than old disapprove with a fixed gender-role principle. The idea that character and ability differences between men and women are biological, and, therefore, a gender-based division of labor is a "natural" social order was considered problematic for the second wave feminist movement that grew worldwide in the 1970s. However, as a result of new education practices in schools and also citizens' movements during and after the 1980s which questioned education practices, we can see these limiting biases are changing; in other words, the 21st century is seeing a steady increase in gender-equal perspectives within Japan's young generation. Second wave feminism gave the opportunity to thoroughly examine sexual discrimination within the Japanese education system. It also facilitated a motivation to change the sexual discriminatory systems and customs that set male students above female students or encouraged gender roles, such as gendered class-rosters where male students were listed first.

In 2006, the Fundamental Law on Education was revised with much controversy. This law became the legal foundation for the education system after World War II, and along with the constitution, it was a symbol of Japan's new beginning. This revision eliminated Article 5 of the old Fundamental Law of Education which included "coeducation." Article 5 had stated that: "Men and women shall respect and cooperate with each other. Coeducation, therefore, shall be recognized in education," and it represented a gender equal philosophy in the school system after the war. During the debate over the revision, people argued that Article 5 had accomplished its historical mission since coeducation had been established and the rate of women receiving higher education had significantly increased. Has it really accomplished its historical mission?

It is true that the rate of women receiving high school education has exceeded that of men, and even some years show the number of women receiving higher education is greater than that of men. However, even today, when looking deeper into higher education, there is still a gap between men and women in terms of opportunities. For example, nearly 50 percent of men enter four-year universities and colleges while the rate of women is approximately 35 percent. Also, the percentage of men entering graduate school is nearly double of that of women. The proportion of both genders in academic majors in higher education is becoming more balanced, yet the number of women entering the field of science remains low. The higher one climbs the education ladder, elementary school to junior high school, junior high school to high school, and then to higher education, the more significant the gender disparities become, which in turn leads to different positions within the labor market. There are a lot of measures that need to be taken in order to establish gender equality in school courses.

Article 5, which had included the principle of coeducation, was serving as a foundation to solve gender-related issues. As one measure for gender equality, single-sex education in public high schools is finally being reexamined even though it has taken over sixty years after the war ended. Furthermore, in order to make coeducation a truly gender-equal environment, people are asking and trying to find what kinds of gender biases exist within the educational institutions that have a coeducation system; as an example, barriers that might prevent women from developing abilities in certain academic subjects such as science and mathematics.

Academic research on gender has not just pointed out problems in single-sex education but also problems in the coeducation systems that come from gender biases and from "hidden curriculum" that subtly teaches fixed sexual characteristics. We cannot overlook the fact that male and female differentiation, which might appear to be the result of free will, is actually being prescribed and shaped by social and cultural forces. Schools, communities, and NPOs are at the forefront and doing the real work by consistently putting their ideas into practice. Their work is accumulating and spreading throughout the nation. Despite the political situation, they are the ones that are confronting the problems that children are now facing. New issues, such as youth employment, violence, abuse, sexuality, and their bodies, continue to come to the surface one after another.

We need to affirm the history of gender-equality educational practices and movements that have been successful. And at the same time, we need to be aware of sexual discrimination issues that need to be solved in our children's education environment. We must remain aware of the recent backlash against the movement for eliminating sexual discrimination. However, what educational research and the people who are on the frontlines of education should mount a counter-attack with isn't a narrow sense of political power; what needs to be focused on is modern forms of sexual discrimination that surround children. Going back to the basics and looking at modern issues in education from a gender perspective will help us raise the next generation to have gender equality.