This March, Peatix dives into the International Women’s Day theme of ‘Inspiring Inclusion’ by shining the spotlight on communities in Japan and Singapore who through their work and mission, have been championing the inclusion of Women and lowering barriers to support resources.
In our third interview of the series, we chat with Naoko Yamada, President of the Japan FemTech association who champions the use and advancement of technology to uplift and improve women’s lives through various stages.
Q: Ms Yamada, can you share with us what the Femtech association does?
A: Our mission is to drive awareness about Femtech and to increase “femteracy” (femtech + literacy), where women can understand their bodies better. By empowering women with knowledge of their bodies, it helps them make more informed choices for their well-being.
We also have a mission to draw focus on “work-life-hormone balance” where we not only place importance on maintaining a balance between work and family but recognising how hormonal changes will impact a woman’s physical condition and ability. With this understanding, we hope not only women but men, can be alerted and educated on the difference between genders.
Additionally, we also design and conduct seminars and training on health literacy for companies to create an environment where women can continue working for a long time.
For the public, we also offer the “Femtech Certification” where one can easily learn the correct knowledge and care methods regarding women’s bodies and minds. We get many male participants, and it’s encouraging to know that more people want to learn about their female partners and colleagues.
Q: What led you to establish the association?
There are two main reasons. In my 18 years of corporate experience spent working with manufacturers of women’s products such as undergarments and pregnancy supplements, I realised that Japanese women do not spend much time on preventive care and would instead, rely on symptomatic treatment for their health and wellness issues.
Secondly, when I suffered from a gynecological issue in 2020, it was during the height of the pandemic, and unfortunately, treatments had to be delayed then. I remember thinking to myself – if I had understood and taken notice of what was happening to my body, I would have been able to seek help sooner. Upon sharing my experience, I realised many others who were facing similar issues had felt the same yearning to be empowered by knowledge. Since then, the association has partnered closely with doctors and medical experts to help women better understand the need to be privy to certain health conditions, early detection and seeking treatments with the right products and care.
Q: How will the spread of femtech impact women’s lives and work?
A: Those who have completed the “Femtech Certification” course have reported an improvement in their general overall well-being, with better health and satisfaction that comes with being able to help other women in need. I’ve personally also received feedback from people coming to me, telling me their lives have been changed, with this newfound knowledge and awareness, and how they feel more empowered to make choices that are right for them.
Q: What kind of positive impact does improving literacy, including for men, have?
A: Three examples immediately come to mind.
The first involved a president of a cleaning company, whereupon learning more about Femtech, developed a new business, and created an environment where female employees could thrive.
The second is about another president of a real estate company who after attaining the Femtech Association Certification, started being more privy to the needs of its female employees, where they even started to provide certain additional medical benefits, specifically for women.
The final example is about a male engineer who had initially found it difficult to communicate with his female colleagues and decided to take a course aimed at building better relationships and understanding the psychology of women better.
The world can be a better place if we understand each other a little better.
Q: What are some of the challenges the association has run into with Femtech being a relatively new term in Japan?
A: We’re currently in the phase where we’re still trying to actively drive awareness and educate, hence we still often get questions about, what is Femtech and whether it’s even important or necessary for Women to play an active role.
A lot of men may have only heard of the term Femtech as part of the company training which is also why, we are partnering with companies to speed up the process of driving awareness.
Q: With the theme for International Women’s Day 2024 being to “Inspire Inclusion”, are there specific measures the association is taking to build a more inclusive community?
A: While a lot of our work is designed to support women, we’ve long understood the need for this to be an inclusive community so that men likewise, can understand the issues to render the necessary support. The recent Femtech Summit held on February 27th was created in a way to encourage and drive participation from men, featuring male-led businesses and speakers where people can all be brought together to understand the world of FemTech better.
We also host free lunchtime webinars every Tuesday, for anyone and everyone willing and curious to learn more about the world of Femtech.
Q: As we approach International Women’s Day, is there anything you’d like to share with fellow women out there?
A: Take care of your body and mind because it is only with that, you’re able to stay healthy and live the life you want.
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