Japanese Women

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that changes in the roles of Japanese women, such as independent dreams, work, and identities, are becoming more acceptable in theory; nonetheless, women are still charged with the full and untempered gender burdens of centuries past, such as being a ?good wife?, mother, and woman, leaving women with an impossible burden. The author points out that this stress is resulting in a declining birth rate because Japan is a country where women lose more than they gain by having a child; therefore, they are choosing to remain childless. The paper relates that Japan, unlike other industrialized countries, has been very slow to implement real governmental, business, and social changes that are supportive of women with children because Japanese society has a particularly rigid, male-dominated culture that is kept in place by economic factors of power and influence.

From the Paper:

"However, although women in Japanese society were as psychologically perceptive and affected by these cultural and societal changes in values, and they were relatively quick to begin accepting new roles in that changing society, as is often the case; those same women were unable to "shake off" any of their old ones. Hence, Japanese women are "freed" on one hand to pursue society's new values, while chained, on the other, to old responsibilities, without increased participation of men. In short, they were free to add new responsibilities, as long as they were chained to the old, in a sense leaving them hobbled and unable to perform either old or new responsibilities under the weight of their chains. In other words, it is as author Suvendrini Kakuchi writes in his article, "Still a long way from gender equality," ?Japan may keep on making breakthroughs in the technological world, but when it comes to equality between the sexes, this East Asian country remains a laggard.?"

More papers on Japanese Women:

• Research Paper # 10025 : "The Identity of Japanese Women"
• Book Review # 132107 : "Tomoko Makabe's "Picture Brides - Japanese Women in Canada" (1995) - a Review"
• Essay # 52249 : "American-Japanese Women"
• Comparison Essay # 85155 : "American and Japanese Women"

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