I read this article on Japan Times today, about whether female scholars are taken seriously in Japan.
That brings in a broader question; are female workers taken seriously in Japanese companies?
Some professions (architecture, graphics design) are now "majority female", according to the government data. I guess they are taken seriously at least in these professions.
One thing I noted in every country I have been in is common to japan, too. Noisy female employees are much more unpopular than noisy male employees.