In addition, although the employment rate for women tended to be lower than that for men, it has recently exceeded that for men. Moreover, an increasing number of firms have been providing learning opportunities for women during their parental leave so that they can maintain and improve their skills.
There has also been an increase in firms' initiatives to share work-related information with women on parental leave so that they can catch up more easily when they return to work. As these examples show, it seems that an environment is being created to encourage women to make full use of their abilities.