I can affirm that the paradigm of only working till marriage and then work me are you kidding is still alive in Japan for women. A man who doesn't meet that expectation either won't find a wife or will be in for a very miserable marriage. But that said, there have been tons of career women for at least 20 years, so, depending on the field, that would be outrageous and she could easily complain. The problem is if it's a company where the women are mostly OLs simply waiting out their time before marriage, she's the odd one out and even all the women there wouldn't support her making a fuss. Notice what she actually did, though: she tested the waters by more or less insisting on working on the very account they were dubious about. That does two things - it forces their decision into the light (which usually changes a Japanese business decision) and it gives a signal she's not just waiting to get married and quit working. Kodama Naoko likes strong women characters, I think - look at the publisher of Renai Manga basically saying "work or marriage is bullshit, girls."