Forty years since the Agnes controversy over bringing children to work... Has the way we work changed? Considering a society where people can safely have and raise children while working.
Gakken has begun accepting pre-orders for a book co-authored by Chizuko Ueno and Agnes Chan.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 07:00
Gakken Inc. (Shinagawa, Tokyo), a group company of Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd., has started accepting pre-orders for 'Living in an Unrewarding Society, But Still We Live' (to be released on April 9, 2026), co-authored by sociologist Chizuko Ueno and singer-essayist Agnes Chan, as of March 20, 2026.
## The problems surrounding women and work persist. Let's create a society of mutual support and hope.
From 1987-88, a major controversy arose when singer Agnes Chan returned to her television and speaking engagements accompanied by her infant son. It was an era when many women retired upon marriage or childbirth. Some cultural figures and media outlets criticized Chan's decision to bring her child to work, sparking various debates about women, work styles, and family.
How have women's lives and ways of working changed since that debate? Ueno, who wrote an essay defending Chan at the time, and Chan discuss this. Although women have made advances in society and the sexist idea of 'men for work, women for the home' has changed, has our society transformed into one where people can safely have and raise children while working?
'A society that does not reward you fairly, no matter how hard you try, awaits you.' This is a passage from a congratulatory speech given by Ueno at the University of Tokyo's 2019 entrance ceremony, which was widely shared on social media not only in Japan but also in China, garnering much sympathy. It's not just women who feel unrewarded. Together with Ueno and Chan, the book considers how we should live to create a society where we can support each other and have hope.
### What was the Agnes Controversy?
A major debate that began in 1987 when Agnes Chan, after giving birth to her eldest son, returned to work with her child. Many cultural figures and celebrities commented on it in weekly magazines and the media, and the pros and cons were debated for about two years.
### Table of Contents
◎ Chapter 1: Looking Back at the Agnes Controversy
◎ Chapter 2: Have Women's Lives and Work Styles Changed?
◎ Chapter 3: The Trap of 'Femininity' and 'Being Yourself'
◎ Chapter 4: Japan and China... What Educational and Economic Disparities Bring
◎ Chapter 5: How to Live in an Unchanging Society
## The problems surrounding women and work persist. Let's create a society of mutual support and hope.
From 1987-88, a major controversy arose when singer Agnes Chan returned to her television and speaking engagements accompanied by her infant son. It was an era when many women retired upon marriage or childbirth. Some cultural figures and media outlets criticized Chan's decision to bring her child to work, sparking various debates about women, work styles, and family.
How have women's lives and ways of working changed since that debate? Ueno, who wrote an essay defending Chan at the time, and Chan discuss this. Although women have made advances in society and the sexist idea of 'men for work, women for the home' has changed, has our society transformed into one where people can safely have and raise children while working?
'A society that does not reward you fairly, no matter how hard you try, awaits you.' This is a passage from a congratulatory speech given by Ueno at the University of Tokyo's 2019 entrance ceremony, which was widely shared on social media not only in Japan but also in China, garnering much sympathy. It's not just women who feel unrewarded. Together with Ueno and Chan, the book considers how we should live to create a society where we can support each other and have hope.
### What was the Agnes Controversy?
A major debate that began in 1987 when Agnes Chan, after giving birth to her eldest son, returned to work with her child. Many cultural figures and celebrities commented on it in weekly magazines and the media, and the pros and cons were debated for about two years.
### Table of Contents
◎ Chapter 1: Looking Back at the Agnes Controversy
◎ Chapter 2: Have Women's Lives and Work Styles Changed?
◎ Chapter 3: The Trap of 'Femininity' and 'Being Yourself'
◎ Chapter 4: Japan and China... What Educational and Economic Disparities Bring
◎ Chapter 5: How to Live in an Unchanging Society