DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Based on the belief that people are the Company’s most important asset, Mazda respects the growth and diversity of all employees and is committed to developing a workplace environment in which every employee can exercise their creativity. To this end, the Company must ensure that its workplace environment is receptive toward substantive differences, such as those in experience and values, as opposed to superficial differences, such as gender, disability, age, and nationality, to uplift diverse employees and facilitate co-creation among them and to thereby heighten the creativity of its organization.

On March 31, 2024, the ratio of female employees at Mazda Motor Corporation was 10.3%, on a non-consolidated basis, and the ratio of female managers was 4.3%. A look at Mazda’s global operations will reveal that Japan is an area where the Company faces particular issues with regard to providing opportunities for the empowerment of female employees. Accordingly, targets have been set for indicators related to this area in Japan to guide improvements.
The targets also have been set for the acquisition rates of childcare sabbatical (including paternity leave taken immediately after a child’s birth) by male employees in Japan to foster acceptance for diverse values.
The Company submitted action plans based on the Act on the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life and the Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children in January 2024.*

【Targets】

• Number of female mangers: 80 in FY March 2025, 100 in FY March 2026 
• Ratio of applicable male employees taking childcare sabbatical (including post-childbirth paternity leave): 60% in FY March 2025, 70% in FY March 2026 

* Data on Mazda shown in the Database on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace organized by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare  (External link, in Japanese only)

Support for Women in the Workplace*

As the first step toward empowering female employees, the diversification of management is being pursued through the cultivation of female managers and female candidates for managerial positions. As a specific measure, Mazda formulates and implements individual development plans for female managerial candidates and also arranges career development training for female employees and their supervisors. In addition, the Company organizes forums for exchanges with women active in management outside of the Mazda Group.

【Statistics from FY March 2024】

Number of female managers of 71 (triple the level in FY March 2015) 

* These activities are only conducted at Mazda Motor Corporation. 

To encourage men’s involvement in child-rearing, Mazda has established a paternity leave system for immediately after a child’s birth, which covers the eight weeks after birth, in line with the October 2022 revision to the Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children or Other Family Members. The Comapny understands that employees often need something to prompt them to make the decision to use this system. For this reason, the Company provides introductions of people who have used this system within the organization.

【Statistics from FY March 2024】

Rate of male employees taking childcare sabbatical of 54.4%

Mazda steadily and continuously recruits those with disabilities. To ensure that each employee can deliver their best performance, the Company has established a support desk*1 for people with physical disabilities that offers consultations on various matters to employees with disabilities to help provide them with a comfortable work environment. In addition, the Company has employed two certified sign-language interpreters to further ensure provision of information to people with hearing impairments (as of March 31, 2024). In FY March 2014, the Company was certified as an Ai Support Company/Organization by Hiroshima Prefecture under its Ai Support campaign.*2 The Company participates in this campaign with the aim of helping realize a society where all people can live in harmony and in comfort, regardless of whether they are with or without disabilities. In FY March 2015, the Company registered itself with the “special support school employment support unit Hiroshima”*3 to carry out the internship program for students with cognitive disabilities as part of its collaboration with the local community to promote employment of people with disabilities. As a result of these initiatives, the Company has seen an increasing number of employees with disabilities being recognized as Excellent Workers with Disabilities by the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers. 

Mazda has also worked to promote active inclusion of people with disabilities, and in January 2021 it joined The Valuable 500, an international initiative to promote disability inclusion. The Valuable 500, launched at the World Economic Forum’s Annual General Meeting in January 2019, aims to inspire business leaders to make changes for disability inclusion that will enable people with disabilities to realize their potential value in the areas of business, society, and economy. In support of this aim, the Company is ramping up its efforts to engage in co-creation with people with disabilities. 

*1 These activities are only conducted at Mazda Motor Corporation. 

*2 “Ai” translates to “love” in English. The Ai Support campaign is intended to certify companies and organizations that recommend that their employees read the textbook “Let’s Learn about and Live with People with Disabilities” and to participate in Ai Supporter training programs. 

*3 “Special support school employment support unit Hiroshima” is a program for promoting the employment of special school students through collaboration between local companies and Hiroshima Prefecture. 

Mazda seeks to support employees of all ages in making the most of their abilities and continue to make full contributions while feeling motivated and empowered. To this end, the Company has revised our reemployment systems to introduce retirement age options. 

Raising of the Retirement Age

Mazda is engaged in an ongoing crusade to prevent harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity to ensure that all employees, regardless of sexuality can be themselves, be excited to work, and realize their full potential.

Human Rights Training and Education

In March 2023, Mazda started initiatives to transform its current top-down organizational culture into one that shines alight on the front lines and where the higher echelons of management support them. Through these initiatives, Mazda is driving cultural reforms throughout the Company to foster an empowering organizational culture. 

Examples of Organizational Culture Reforms

Mazda is implementing and growing a variety of programs to enable its employees—a diverse range of people with different values and lifestyles—to feel empowered at work and find a healthy balance between their work and personal lives. 

List of Measures