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To numerous female youth in Japan currently, the image of Sanae Takaichi assuming leadership as the country's first ever woman leader is impactful and influential.

It means a male-oriented culture and a government structure that has historically been controlled by men is now led by a female.

But while the optics suggest a forward-thinking era, some women don't see her as an champion of progress.

“It was quite interesting to observe how people beyond Japan's borders have reacted to the news,” Ayda Ogura says.

“Everyone's like, ‘wow, she's the inaugural woman prime minister in the nation's past and that would be a great opportunity for women empowerment and equal rights in Japan’.

“I think that's a rather simplistic view.”

Instead, Ms Ogura highlights her “ideological stance and what she stands for,” noting: “She reinforces the male-dominated structure.”

A strong admirer of Margaret Thatcher, Sanae Takaichi has always wanted to be the “Steel Magnolia” of her country.

And like Thatcher, Takaichi is a staunch conservative.

Analysts note her leadership is a strategic decision from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to attract the more conservative base which had lately shifted towards Japan's parties further to the right.

The leader is against same-sex marriage and has long stood against legislation that would allow married couples to have separate surnames, blocking many females from retaining their birth surnames.

Additionally, she is against women being in eligible for the throne in the royal household.

Nonetheless, she moderated some of her messaging during her election bid – saying she supports giving financial benefits to businesses that provide childcare facilities to their employees and spoke of potential tax breaks for families spending on childcare.

Yet she has historically backed the idea of a more traditional role for women in society and in the family.

Regarding gender matters, Takaichi is aligned with her nation's less than impressive performance on equality concerns.

Japan's Gender Gap in Context

Women in Japan are among the best educated and highest qualified in the globe and yet they face challenges with the demands of a conservative society that still pushes them into conventional positions.

Based on the latest gender gap index by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 118th among 148 nations, with women's presence in the political arena particularly minimal.

Leadership positions have traditionally been dominated by men and Japan has faced difficulties to increase the quantity of women legislators and corporate executives.

The world's fourth largest economic power ranks last among the G7 countries when it comes to the percentage of women in its legislative body. In detail, women constitute about less than 16% of lawmakers in Japan, the smallest proportion among the G7.

Progress is also sluggish when it comes to women's reproductive health: recently was it announced that the “morning after” pill – a type of emergency contraception available without prescription in over ninety countries – had at last been authorized for non-prescription sales in Japan.

Differing Reactions to the Historic Leadership

Nonetheless, certain individuals view Takaichi's ascent as a pivotal moment that could alter how females perceive their opportunities.

“It is highly meaningful in Ms Takaichi becoming prime minister, with a wider influence on the public,” Naomi Koshi – who was elected as the country's youngest female city leader in 2012 – told Japan's Kyodo news agency.

She contended Japan electing a female prime minister will “lower mental obstacles” for women and girls, enabling them to believe it is acceptable to “excel” as authorities in businesses and society, despite gender-based stereotypes and expectations still remain.

However Audrey Hill-Uekawa points out that, while it is notable Japan has its inaugural woman prime minister, it is important to recall it required her over three decades to get to that office.

“Additionally, she is not truly going against the grain. She's saying the same thing as the male politicians.”

The young woman further states that she shouldn't be put on a pedestal just due to the fact she is a female.

“We need to make sure we're talking about her agenda. We must be capable of evaluate her fairly as all other leaders.”

Ideological Context and Influences

It is not only what Takaichi has said which has led people to label her as a supporter of the patriarchy.

It's also apparent by who her supporters within the LDP have been.

She was mentored of the deceased former hawkish prime minister Shinzo Abe, and was backed in the party vote by Taro Aso – a senior figure in the LDP at the leadership of one of the ruling party's most influential conservative blocs.

Their group's support for Sanae Takaichi was crucial in uniting the party's right wing in her favor.

“I believe that it is difficult for women to somewhat relate to her achievement because it furthers this idea that we must be compliant with the existing system,” young adult Minori Konishi remarks.

The 21-year-old agrees, stating that with her as a figurehead for women in politics, “people are going to expect the identical from us as too”.

“They will demand us to be compliant, not go against the ideals that they have, and it might make our job harder.”

Upcoming Obstacles and Anticipations

Making history, though, was just the first of the challenges Takaichi will face – including tackling a slow growth and rising prices and regaining the confidence of a frustrated and angry electorate, as well as welcoming president Trump within a short time of taking power.

One can reasonably assume that no-one expects women's rights matters to be high on her agenda.