Ok, there are many reasons, look at politics and in the business world for easy examples, but I just saw this segment on TV that exemplifies and perpetuates just how bad it is. The segment was a 'what not to say' and 'how to say it' of common occurrences in Japan, starting with eating curry. The segment said that instead of the husband (sic.) saying "curry will be fine", the correct phrase will be "I would be happy if you made curry".

Can you see where I'm coming from? The whole premise that it's the wife who does the cooking is wrong. And yet this is national TV trying to say that this is the correct way to do things. Fortunately, there was a woman on the show who agreed with me, and she went some way in putting the presenters in their place, but it still ended with these phrases being 'correct' in response. And you wonder why Japanese people are so oblivious to the plight of gender equality, the idiot box (which still has astronomical viewership in Japan) is perpetuating the stereotype.

I'm saying this in that these sorts of attitudes pigeon-hole women into a certain category that means that they can't fully utilise the skills we try so hard to develop through the education system. This to me is a blatant waste of talent that I would love to see put to better use, if the women also feel that way of course.