Abstract This paper looks at women's role in Japan's modern era development. Their presence and influence is shown by looking outside the events of conventional historical record. The powerful political influence of ruling class women in ancient Japanese society is looked at. The Edo period is seen as the era that forced women to be subordinate and the influence of the West the factor which began to open Japanesewomen to participation in social spheres once more.
From the Paper "Studies of Japan's modern era development emphasize its industry, bureaucracy and military, focusing on the political, merchant and capitalist elite and ignoring those upon whom the major costs of development was imposed, particularly women. Japan's modernization came at a social cost borne by the poor, the disadvantaged and women (Hane, 1982). Although their contribution has typically been marginalized, women contributed significantly to the development process in many ways.
Japanese women had an essential role in the domestic sphere and in the economy, but their influence and contributions did not move them toward sexual and legal equality, as was the case for women in the west. This was primarily due to the social and legal conservative imperatives relegating women to the lowest status of every class strata; however, their presence and influence may be seen by taking a larger, and peripheral, view outside the events of conventional historical record."
Tags:Japanese, subordinate, submissive, society, meiji, edo, buddhist
Abstract This paper looks at the changes that Japanesewomen have undergone with respect to their identity. It focuses on the changes since the mid - 20th century. It links the historical changes in Japanese society over the past 150 years with the changes in their women's identity and also looks at social, political, economic and environmental factors that have influenced the identity of Japanesewomen.
From the Paper "Before 1868, especially under the Tokugawa Shogunate government, Japanese women had no legal personality. They could not own property and were in fact the property of men who could do with them virtually anything they fancied. At that time, they could read and write only hiragana, but business, political and literary materials were written in the more formal kanji which prevented them from sharing the more fulfilling and dignified world of men."
Tags: change, 20th, century, historical, economic, political, social, environmental
An examination of the life of Japanesewomen, before, during, and after their internment in the American internment camps that were established during World War II.
Abstract This paper examines how Japanesewomen came to America from their homeland and how, instead of starting anew, they simply brought the repressive culture with them. It looks at how, during the time they were in camps, they were forced to let go of tradition in many areas of life and how they found they had the ability and strength to make decisions, survive, and handle adversity. It also examines how, once they were out of the camps, they still faced attitude problems from those who blamed the residents for the Pearl Harbor attack. It shows how the camps were an atrocity and unfair to all who were forced into them and how, for Japanesewomen, they did help break a multi-generational pattern of self-doubt.
From the Paper "While the women were in the camps their treatment was a catalyst for their future. Women were ripped away from everything and everyone they had depended on before the camps were constructed. Their husbands were often sent to far away places, and if the females had married Americans then their husbands were not interned, but the women were. They were ripped away from their children many times as well. With very little notice, everything that they nurtured and lived for each day was suddenly gone. Their existence was stripped from them and once they were placed in the camps they were forced to re-invent and identify their existence."
Abstract A comparison between what amounts to half of two nations' population has no choice but to be broad. For that reason two areas have been selected in this paper in which to compare and contrast these groups of women. Since both nations are technologically advanced and have similar standards of living one might expect the opportunities for women to be similar. The paper shows that the two nations differ substantially on a cultural basis, however.
This paper explores the recent trend of Japanesewomen who flock to Hong Kong for more desirable employment opportunities, better pay and an improved quality of life.
Abstract This paper examines the escalating influx of Japanesewomen who move to Hong Kong seeking not only better pay but also an escape from the so-called glass ceiling at home as well as a new lifestyle. The desire to work in Hong Kong began in the early 1990s when Japan's economic slowdown began and countless women found themselves unemployed. This paper discusses the traditional female roles in Japanese culture and the numerous strides women have made over the years in a male dominated society.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
JapaneseWomen and Their Environment
JapaneseWomen and Their Traditional Roles
Inequality in Japanese Society: Tradition
Inequality in Japanese Society: Today
Footnotes
From the Paper "Working in Hong Kong is also a way out for women frustrated by Japan's notorious male-dominated corporate culture. "Japanese women who have studied abroad and achieved a command of English hope to use it in their careers, but they find that overwhelmingly Japanese companies only give foreign postings to male employees," Nakase said. Japanese job seekers with work experience and basic clerical skills find strong demand from Japanese firms that seek to save money by hiring locally and which find Japanese workers easier to communicate with than local Hong Kong staff. Jobs on offer are typically clerical, with more challenging opportunities -- and better pay -- offered to those with good computer skills or command of English or Chinese."
Abstract This paper is about the increase in freedom Japanesewomen experienced during the Meiji and Taisho periods in Japan and the subsequently greater role they had in both the family and the political life of the country. The paper explains how, unwittingly, the Samurai revolution contributed to women's greater liberation and how the combination of increased urbanization along with a higher degree of mobility tended to loosen the traditional strictures on women's physical and social mobility. The paper also points out how the increase in a Japanese middle-class after the Samurai revolution and their corresponding demands for more rights also contributed to greater freedoms for women. The paper makes it clear, however, that the status of Japanesewomen during this period was never close to being equal to that of Japanese men, but their social and political gains were significant.
From the Paper "The Meiji period, as Gordon outlines in Chapter Five, "The Samurai Revolution", began with a political revolution that returned the country to direct imperial rule under the Emperor Meiji and brought to an end the era of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The emperor took advantage of the restoration of his power to try to push Japan towards the West and to introduce Western concepts of modernization. The effect ? over the period of Meiji rule from 1868?1912 included the rise of a much larger and more powerful middle class in Japan. This came about in no small way because the samurai who lead the restoration understood that their own rising power ? as well as that of the imperial house ? was dependent upon the diminishment of power by the feudal lords."
Tags: role, sex, traditionally, imperial, rule, emperor, tokugawa, shogunate, fuedal, tokyo, edo, shufu
Abstract This paper examines the changing gender roles in Japan by focusing on two broad areas ? the role of women in the family and the role of women in the economic/work sphere. The first part of the paper examines women in the traditional domestic sphere. In the second part, the paper looks at women's participation in the sphere of gainful labor, which increased dramatically after World War II. Finally, the paper looks at the effects these changing roles have engendered in other spheres of Japanese life, such as politics and the women's movement.
From the Paper "Traditional stereotypes hold that women have always occupied a subservient role in Japanese society. Indeed, among the most enduring images of women in Japan are the mother/wife/caretaker or the geisha.
These stereotypes, however, hardly do justice to the complex and nuanced positions women have occupied in Japanese society. In many instances, the "image" of the subservient Japanese women does not reflect the power and social expectations related to her role in society."
Tags: gender, roles, in, Japan, subserviant, Japanese, women, Kamakura, period
Abstract This paper takes a look at the changing nature of women's employment in Japan. The paper examines traditional roles of Japanese society, traditional societal attitudes about the role of women in Japan and how Japanesewomen themselves have largely seen their role in society. The paper also examines how, slowly, these roles and attitudes are changing and looks at the factors that have contributed to these changes. The paper concludes with a look at what Japanesewomen and society can do to help promote the prospects of women in the future.
From the Paper "As the female share of the labor force rises, the labor force overall may appear to respond less flexibly to changes in aggregate demand, and Japan may witness an initial slowing of productivity growth, since many of the women who enter the labor force will have less experience and training than their male counterparts. The male-female wage gap has recently begun to widen, partly as a result of the changing composition of the female labor force. However, as more and more women become permanently attached to the workforce, increases will probably occur both in their productivity and in their relative wages."
Abstract This paper documents a study that has been conducted for the purpose of understanding why the rates of breast cancer differ between Japanesewomen living in the United States compared to those living in Japan. The examination of risk factors associated with the rapid fluctuation of breast cancer incidence rates in Japanesewomen in the United States and those in Japan may help to explain differences. The paper offers methodology, data collection and analysis. It also gives a clear conclusion of the findings of the research and recommendations for further research on this topic.
Table of Contents:
Purpose of the study
Methodology
Theoretical Framework
Limitations
Data Collection and Analysis
Quantative Analysis
Summary of Findings
Conclusion
Findings
Recommendations of the Study
Bibliography
From the Paper "Meta-analysis begins with estimation of the success rates of treatment and control arms of multiple separate trials through use of a separate 2 X 2 table for each trial. At the point in time that the researcher is convinced that the trials are "sufficiently uniform in design and methods that pooling their results makes clinical sense, a statistical test for homogeneity is used to help decide whether pooling results makes statistical sense." (Gilbert, 2005) After having made the decision that the "studies are sufficiently homogeneous to be combinable, the effect measure has been chosen, and a fixed- or random-effects technique is adopted, the calculations required to perform a meta-analysis are quite simple, usually through use of statistical software."
Abstract The paper examines Japan's change in foreign policy and resulting economic growth in the second half of the 20th Century, which allowed women to enter the workforce. The paper also looks at the social changes in marriage and family life that resulted from the women's employment. It also discusses the emerging Japanesewomen's liberation movement called "wuman ribu" and its attempts to raise social consciousness in Japan. The paper notes the differences in attitude between Western and Japanese cultures and the fact that Japan still has a long way to go before it achieves sexual equality, especially in the workplace.
Table of Contents
Modern Japan - How is it different?
What Women Gained
Women's Movement In Japan
Women In Economy
From the Paper "Women in Japan in the past 50 years have made a huge progress as far as their presence in the workplace is concerned. We have seen that most women in the past few decades decided to pursue a career instead of staying at home and raising children. While this has resulted in tremendous economic benefits for women, it has also affected their personal lives, which is the reason why most of them are facing a major dilemma today. They are not certain if they should continue being a part of the workforce or is it better to stay at home and do justice to their traditional roles. But women in Japan still complain of discrimination and inequality in the workplace. Sometimes it is about promotion that they deserved but did not get, at others it can be about the pay scale, which often tilts in favor of their male counterparts."
Tags: feminism, gender, imperialism, distribution, mass, production
Abstract The field of women's rights is now becoming more and more important in the world today. Japan, as the first country in Asia to become a super power, has been through a lot since the end of WWII and the issue of women's rights in Japan is no exception. This paper is an analysis on Japanesewomen's issues after WWII from different perspectives including cultural, social and historical perspectives.
From the Paper "These main characteristics of the changing role of women in Japan in its population stability, educational improvement and employment issues show an effective result of governmental acts and non-governmental organization's efforts. By providing equal laws and rights, establishing equal development strategies, founding of the National Machinery for the Promotion of Gender Equality, as well as promoting democratic orientation, the Japanese government and NGOs have elevated the role of women in Japanese society."
Abstract The paper shows that while women in Japan have made great strides during the 20th century, they still have a long way to go to catch up to the world's women in pay, job prospects and their standing in society. The paper discusses the many hours Japanesewomen spend on childcare and housework which leaves little time for leisure time and entertainment.
From the Paper "Leisure time for women in Japan is much more common today than it was several decades ago. In fact, women taking classes, or enjoying golf and other recreation would have been looked at with disapproval, people would have thought they were neglecting their duties to pursue selfish pleasures. Today, they enjoy more freedom, but as in many other societies, working women with families still enjoy the least leisure time, and in Japan, their husband help even less with the necessary housework. Japanese women still have a long way to go to become equal in their society."
Abstract This paper refers to 'The Life of an Amorous Woman' and other Tokugawa period literature to explain the different roles played by women in a rigid 18th century society led by the samurai class, rigid conformity, and subservience of women respectability in contrast with prevalence of different forms of prostitution. According to this paper, women were held to hold dangerous ulterior powers and thus their lives needed to be ordered to fit with respectability, including respectable and less respectable forms of prostitution.
From the Paper "Introduction Twenty-first century Western ideas of women and the freedom of the individual do collide with the very limited choices and frequent low status of women in Tokugawa Japan (1603-1867). This essay refers to literature in commenting on the Tokugawa courtesan or prostitute, in relation to her sister in more respectable society, towards a conclusion arguing that women's roles were prescribed, however varied, and their legacy may continue still in a much changed Japanese society. Elizabeth Kanematsu explains how women were stripped of their rights in the Tokugawa period and became subservient to men until the advent of the Meiji Era. (1993)."
Abstract This paper examines three essays on different aspects of medieval Japanese culture that use legends to subjugate women - the blood pool hell to which all women are damned by virtue of their biology, the Five Obstructions which are the five states of enlightenment which women cannot achieve after death because of the inferiority of their gender, and the use of images of women being transformed into snakes and dragons to tell stories about women's threats to men.
From the Paper "This paper considers the positive and negative effects of Buddhism for women in the medieval and early Edo periods through the introduction oft he apocryphal text known as the Blood Pool Hell Sutra. The rise of popularity of the sutra was connected to ..."
Abstract This paper takes a look at the post-modern Japanese cultural society and its effects. The paper focuses on cultural deviations that did not exist in the past. The paper examines Japanese youth culture, women's role in Japanese culture as well as Japanese pop culture.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Youth Culture
Role of women Popular Culture
Conclusion
From the Paper "The youth culture in Japan has evolved a lot since the last fifty years. Youth culture was quite restricted due to the strong influence of the military. The Japanese defeat during World War II badly affected the Japanese society. Japan did make a lot of progress through industrialization and urbanization, which brought an increase to the middle class. The youth culture was disillusioned with life there and this sparked a lot of protests against the political structure. The youth community was looking to implement communal values originating from the rural communities and not urban values."
