Japanese culture, specifically gender roles, has changed in many ways since the beginning of Japan. Although one aspect has stayed constant; that men are charge of bringing in money and women are in charge of running the household. During the Heian period (12 century A.D.), women were allowed to inherit, own and manage property - a right that was later taken away from them in the Tokugawa period (Kumar, 2011). Before Chinese and Korean influences, families held and passed down the positions of power, there were emperors, and empresses. However, empresses were usually either widowed or unwed, and the throne did not pass to their children, but reverted, as soon as possible, to the male line. Once Confucianism was introduced, it kept its hold on Japanese culture and customs for centuries.
Up until the end of World War II, Confucianism was strongly accepted. In 1889 the Japanese Imperial Constitution legally defined the family as formed by blood lineage with a father as the head of the household in a written law (Smith, 2008). The senior male held extreme power over the family and essentially called the shots. Men were expected to go and work for the family’s needs and women were to stay home and rear the children. The first son were expected to take over the leader role an inherit all the family properties, and other children (daughters and subsequent sons) were expected to leave the family of origin (Tamura). I think it is important to include that in Japanese culture it is the eldest son’s responsibility to care for his parents when they are elderly. With so many elderly people in Japan, and not very many nursing homes, this responsibility is a heavy weight on many men.
Times are changing for men in Japan. Workplace cannot provide them with their fulfillment of life any more. Those men who decide to return to their family also face the resistance from the rest of the family. Because of the many generations and customs that men and women upheld, I believe that it is very hard for Japanese men and women to change and start a new way of life. “Absent fathers/husbands had lost their place in the families, and cannot intervene the too close mother-children relationships. They lost the work and family, and have no place to go (Tamura)”. I think it is so sad that the men feel that they cannot have the relationships with their children that they need and deserve.
Today, women still control the household, household budget, and household decisions, allowing men to devote themselves to their work. This is changing as more women start careers. “Both genders are also delaying marriage. The stigma of being single is fading for both genders, most of all for women (Kincaid)”. The Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted in 1986, banning discrimination against women in the workplace (Otake). However, Japan’s long work days and hours make it almost impossible for women with children to work at all. I think that while it is important for women to find a more solid position in workforces all over the world, I also believe that mother’s should be the primary caretakers of their children for at least the first few years of their lives.
Sources:
Kincaid, C. (2013, July 07). A look at gender expectations in japanese society. Retrieved from http://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/a-look-at-gender-expectations-in-japanese- society
Kumar, V. (2011, June 06). Japanese views on gender roles. Retrieved from http://vkumar.expertscolumn.com/article/japanese-views-gender-roles
Otake, T. (2013, March 03). Japanese women strive to empower themselves. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/03/03/people/japanese-women-strive-to-empower-themselves/
Smith, J. (2008, April 21). Japanese view on gender roles. Retrieved from http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/japanese-views-on-gender-roles-15232/
Tamura, T. (n.d.). Japanese boys and men. Retrieved from http://www.u-gakugei.ac.jp/~tam/research/gender/Niagara.htm
Up until the end of World War II, Confucianism was strongly accepted. In 1889 the Japanese Imperial Constitution legally defined the family as formed by blood lineage with a father as the head of the household in a written law (Smith, 2008). The senior male held extreme power over the family and essentially called the shots. Men were expected to go and work for the family’s needs and women were to stay home and rear the children. The first son were expected to take over the leader role an inherit all the family properties, and other children (daughters and subsequent sons) were expected to leave the family of origin (Tamura). I think it is important to include that in Japanese culture it is the eldest son’s responsibility to care for his parents when they are elderly. With so many elderly people in Japan, and not very many nursing homes, this responsibility is a heavy weight on many men.
Times are changing for men in Japan. Workplace cannot provide them with their fulfillment of life any more. Those men who decide to return to their family also face the resistance from the rest of the family. Because of the many generations and customs that men and women upheld, I believe that it is very hard for Japanese men and women to change and start a new way of life. “Absent fathers/husbands had lost their place in the families, and cannot intervene the too close mother-children relationships. They lost the work and family, and have no place to go (Tamura)”. I think it is so sad that the men feel that they cannot have the relationships with their children that they need and deserve.
Today, women still control the household, household budget, and household decisions, allowing men to devote themselves to their work. This is changing as more women start careers. “Both genders are also delaying marriage. The stigma of being single is fading for both genders, most of all for women (Kincaid)”. The Equal Employment Opportunity Law was enacted in 1986, banning discrimination against women in the workplace (Otake). However, Japan’s long work days and hours make it almost impossible for women with children to work at all. I think that while it is important for women to find a more solid position in workforces all over the world, I also believe that mother’s should be the primary caretakers of their children for at least the first few years of their lives.
Sources:
Kincaid, C. (2013, July 07). A look at gender expectations in japanese society. Retrieved from http://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/a-look-at-gender-expectations-in-japanese- society
Kumar, V. (2011, June 06). Japanese views on gender roles. Retrieved from http://vkumar.expertscolumn.com/article/japanese-views-gender-roles
Otake, T. (2013, March 03). Japanese women strive to empower themselves. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/03/03/people/japanese-women-strive-to-empower-themselves/
Smith, J. (2008, April 21). Japanese view on gender roles. Retrieved from http://www.lifepaths360.com/index.php/japanese-views-on-gender-roles-15232/
Tamura, T. (n.d.). Japanese boys and men. Retrieved from http://www.u-gakugei.ac.jp/~tam/research/gender/Niagara.htm