Champagne bottles with original decorations sit in a hostess bar in Tokyo. In Japan, a hostess is a young woman who entertains men at bars or clubs. Customers pay large sums of money to these women for pleasure of their company for flirting but not sex. Once frowned upon, hostess jobs have been gaining popularity among young women. Despite the Equal Opportunity Law of 1986, Japanese women's employment opportunities are often limited to low-paying, dead-end jobs or temp positions. Only 65% of college-educated women are employed and women's salaries are a third less than men's. Though women can only work as hostesses when they are young, many young women see this profession as one of the few jobs that provide financial independence..