# 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 / Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life — 第一章 (Chapter 1) - Law: 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 (Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life), 平成二十七年法律第六十四号 - English title "Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life": Ministry of Justice translation - Kind: Act — the distinction between 法律 (Act), 政令 (Cabinet Order), 省令 (Ministerial Order) and 条例 (local ordinance) decides who may issue it and what it may say. - Provision: 第一章 (Chapter 1) — address `ch-1` - Text in force since: 2026-10-01 - URL (the page that opens at this provision): https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/ch-1 - Permanent URL (e-Gov law ID, never renamed): https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/ch-1 - Every provision below carries its address and both URLs on the line under it. - Japanese text: e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁). English: as marked on each line below. Only the Japanese as published by the government has legal effect; the text below is a copy of it. Every English rendering below is a translation and says which kind: the Ministry of Justice's translation, or this site's machine translation, whose model and date the Sources list names. They are never merged and never substituted for one another. --- ## 第一章　総則 — Chapter I General Provisions heading: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/ch-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/ch-1 ### 第一条（目的） — (Purpose) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-1 **第一項** この法律は、近年、自らの意思によって職業生活を営み、又は営もうとする女性がその個性と能力を十分に発揮して職業生活において活躍すること（以下「女性の職業生活における活躍」という。）が一層重要となっていることに鑑み、男女共同参画社会基本法（平成十一年法律第七十八号）の基本理念にのっとり、女性の職業生活における活躍の推進について、その基本原則を定め、並びに国、地方公共団体及び事業主の責務を明らかにするとともに、基本方針及び事業主の行動計画の策定、女性の職業生活における活躍を推進するための支援措置等について定めることにより、女性の職業生活における活躍を迅速かつ重点的に推進し、もって男女の人権が尊重され、かつ、急速な少子高齢化の進展、国民の需要の多様化その他の社会経済情勢の変化に対応できる豊かで活力ある社会を実現することを目的とする。 art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-1/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-1/par-1 The purpose of this Act is to swiftly and thoroughly encourage women who choose to or intend to work, to fully demonstrate their qualities and capabilities and engage in professional life actively (hereinafter referred to as "women's active engagement in professional life"), leading to a vibrant and dynamic society in which the rights of both men and women are respected, and which can respond to changes in various social and economic conditions including the rapid progression of the declining birthrate and aging population, and the diversification of the demands of the Japanese public in consideration of the increasing importance in recent years of women's active engagement in professional life, pursuant to the basic principles of the Basic Act for Gender-Equal Society (Act No. 78 of 1999), by establishing fundamental principles for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life, in addition to clarifying the responsibilities of the national government and local governments and employers, formulating a basic policy and employer action plan, and stipulating support measures for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ### 第二条（基本原則） — (Fundamental Principles) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-2 **第一項** 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進は、職業生活における活躍に係る男女間の格差の実情を踏まえ、自らの意思によって職業生活を営み、又は営もうとする女性に対する採用、教育訓練、昇進、職種及び雇用形態の変更その他の職業生活に関する機会の積極的な提供及びその活用を通じ、かつ、性別による固定的な役割分担等を反映した職場における慣行が女性の職業生活における活躍に対して及ぼす影響に配慮し、併せて、女性の健康上の特性に留意して、その個性と能力が十分に発揮できるようにすることを旨として、行われなければならない。 art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-2/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-2/par-1 The promotion of women's active engagement in professional life must be conducted for the purpose of enabling women to fully demonstrate their qualities and capabilities, taking into account the state of gender disparities regarding active engagement in professional life, through the active provision of employment opportunities, education and training, workplace promotion, different types of occupation, changes in employment, and other opportunities related to professional life; and the use of those opportunities for women who choose to or intend to work, and in consideration of the effects of workplace practices reflecting a stereotyped division of roles based on gender, etc. on women's active engagement in professional life, and also with attention to the health characteristics of women. machine translation, not official **第二項** 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進は、職業生活を営む女性が結婚、妊娠、出産、育児、介護その他の家庭生活に関する事由によりやむを得ず退職することが多いことその他の家庭生活に関する事由が職業生活に与える影響を踏まえ、家族を構成する男女が、男女の別を問わず、相互の協力と社会の支援の下に、育児、介護その他の家庭生活における活動について家族の一員としての役割を円滑に果たしつつ職業生活における活動を行うために必要な環境の整備等により、男女の職業生活と家庭生活との円滑かつ継続的な両立が可能となることを旨として、行われなければならない。 art-2/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-2/par-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-2/par-2 In light of how the professional lives of many women are negatively affected through having to leave work due to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, nursing care, and other reasons related to personal life, the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life must be conducted for the purpose of enabling a smooth and continuous balance between professional and personal life of men and women, by establishing a supportive environment for men and women with families, regardless of their gender, to allow them to carry out their household responsibilities such as childcare or nursing care for other family members, through mutual cooperation and with social support. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System **第三項** 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に当たっては、女性の職業生活と家庭生活との両立に関し、本人の意思が尊重されるべきものであることに留意されなければならない。 art-2/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-2/par-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-2/par-3 When promoting women's active engagement in professional life, special attention must be paid to the importance of respecting the wishes of women concerning the balance between professional and personal life. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ### 第三条（国及び地方公共団体の責務） — (Responsibilities of the National Government and Local Governments) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-3 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-3 **第一項** 国及び地方公共団体は、前条に定める女性の職業生活における活躍の推進についての基本原則（次条及び第五条第一項において「基本原則」という。）にのっとり、女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関して必要な施策を策定し、及びこれを実施しなければならない。 art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-3/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-3/par-1 The national and local governments must formulate and implement necessary measures for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life, in accordance with the fundamental principles of the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life (referred to as the "fundamental principles" in the following Article and Article 5, paragraph (1)) prescribed in the preceding Article. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System ### 第四条（事業主の責務） — (Responsibilities of Employers) caption: Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-4 **第一項** 事業主は、基本原則にのっとり、その雇用し、又は雇用しようとする女性労働者に対する職業生活に関する機会の積極的な提供、雇用する労働者の職業生活と家庭生活との両立に資する雇用環境の整備その他の女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する取組を自ら実施するよう努めるとともに、国又は地方公共団体が実施する女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する施策に協力しなければならない。 art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-4/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-4/par-1 In accordance with the fundamental principles, employers must endeavor to play an integral role in the active provision of opportunities of professional lives for women workers whom they employ or intend to employ, endeavor to establish a work environment that contributes positively to balancing professional and personal life of the workers they employ, and endeavor to undertake other initiatives for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life, and to cooperate with measures for the promotion of women's active engagement in professional life implemented by the national or local governments. Ministry of Justice translation — Japanese Law Translation Database System --- ## Cites - art-3/par-1: 前条 → 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 第二条 (Article 2), art-2 — https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-2 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-2 - art-3/par-1: 次条 → 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 第四条 (Article 4), art-4 — https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-4 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-4 - art-3/par-1: 第五条第一項 → 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 第五条第一項 (Article 5, paragraph (1)), art-5/par-1 — https://japanlaw.org/en/womens-engagement-act/art-5/par-1 · https://japanlaw.org/l/427AC0000000064/art-5/par-1 --- ## Sources - e-Gov 法令検索, Digital Agency (デジタル庁) — 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 — the text in force from 2026-10-01 (https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/427AC0000000064/20261001_507AC0000000063), retrieved 2026-10-19 - Japanese Law Translation Database System, Ministry of Justice (法務省) — Act on the Promotion of Women's Active Engagement in Professional Life — Ministry of Justice translation (https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/4163/tb), retrieved 2026-10-19 - claude-sonnet-5-5 — Machine translation, batch womens-engagement-act-20261019T013854-001, translated 2026-10-19 - This site's parser, version 201 — 女性の職業生活における活躍の推進に関する法律 — structure, counts, cross-references and defined terms, computed 2026-10-19