The gender roles in Japan have shown that the male is more dominant outside of the home as the women are more dominant in the household. This can be shown as an international standard all around the world in the past 70 years. According to Cultural of Japan (n.d.), “A male household head represented the family to the outside world and controlled its public affairs; within the home, his wife might exercise great control in managing the day-to-day life of the family. Changes in family structure since the end of World War II have eroded the patriarchal domination of households”. It is amazing that in just the past 70 years men were just mainly the head of the working outside of the home while the wife would be the house manager. I believe that if a wife wants to go into a degree to work in something that they want to do, it is their right to do this.
Religions views also influenced the way women were not supposed to be doing anything outside of the home. As the Buddhism and Confucianism with the Samurai class, samurai believed that women would need to “look upon her husband as if he were heaven itself” (Freidman, 1992). Women needed to be polite and talk properly like the husband is the emperor to show the differences between the men and women. As this was common in the pre-World War II, women could not own property. This is due the women having limited rights. According to Seth Friedman (1992), In 1887 laws were established which limited women's rights. Women did not have the vote”.
Women would marry their husbands and become the house manager. If they had kids, she would take care of them. If the marriage was not working out as she had hoped for, she could not divorce without the permission of her husband. According to Sam Friedman (1992), “They still suffered from the vestiges of Samurai culture which kept them subservient to their husbands. They could not divorce their husbands, while they were subject to easy divorce by their husbands”. This made it harder for women to divorce, so they would have to stay unless the husband said the okay the divorce. To be honest, I do not like these limiting women rights as they could not divorce if she wanted to leave if unhappy within the marriage.
Women have been viewed as just a house wife in the past instead being capable of doing something more than a house wife. Women were not seen in the workplace and not welcome in the workforce. According to Mark Lim Shan-Loong (2000.), “1997 statistics show that Japanese women hold only 9.3% of professional positions, compared to 44.3% in the United States”. Women would be able to work in the workforce during economic recessions or she had divorce her husband (Friedman, 1992). As women continue to gain roles outside of the household, the men, however, are still dominant and seem as the breadwinner.
This set back of rights for women mirrors the women’s struggles in United States. As U.S. women’s rights, were granted in 1920. Japanese women are allowed to work now and they still have a long way to go until they receive full rights. I still believe if the wife wants to work and still have responsibilities in the house that is okay, but I would also take on the house duties. By doing this, the roles in the house and work would be equal to each person in the marriage will have part of everyday life in their household.
Work Cited
Culture of Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html
Friedman, S. (1992, December). The Changing Roles of Women in Japanese Society. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www2.gol.com/users/friedman/writings/p1.html
Shan-Loong, M. (2000, March 14). Tradition & Change – Examining Gender Roles in Japan. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://marklsl.tripod.com/Writings/japan.htm
Religions views also influenced the way women were not supposed to be doing anything outside of the home. As the Buddhism and Confucianism with the Samurai class, samurai believed that women would need to “look upon her husband as if he were heaven itself” (Freidman, 1992). Women needed to be polite and talk properly like the husband is the emperor to show the differences between the men and women. As this was common in the pre-World War II, women could not own property. This is due the women having limited rights. According to Seth Friedman (1992), In 1887 laws were established which limited women's rights. Women did not have the vote”.
Women would marry their husbands and become the house manager. If they had kids, she would take care of them. If the marriage was not working out as she had hoped for, she could not divorce without the permission of her husband. According to Sam Friedman (1992), “They still suffered from the vestiges of Samurai culture which kept them subservient to their husbands. They could not divorce their husbands, while they were subject to easy divorce by their husbands”. This made it harder for women to divorce, so they would have to stay unless the husband said the okay the divorce. To be honest, I do not like these limiting women rights as they could not divorce if she wanted to leave if unhappy within the marriage.
Women have been viewed as just a house wife in the past instead being capable of doing something more than a house wife. Women were not seen in the workplace and not welcome in the workforce. According to Mark Lim Shan-Loong (2000.), “1997 statistics show that Japanese women hold only 9.3% of professional positions, compared to 44.3% in the United States”. Women would be able to work in the workforce during economic recessions or she had divorce her husband (Friedman, 1992). As women continue to gain roles outside of the household, the men, however, are still dominant and seem as the breadwinner.
This set back of rights for women mirrors the women’s struggles in United States. As U.S. women’s rights, were granted in 1920. Japanese women are allowed to work now and they still have a long way to go until they receive full rights. I still believe if the wife wants to work and still have responsibilities in the house that is okay, but I would also take on the house duties. By doing this, the roles in the house and work would be equal to each person in the marriage will have part of everyday life in their household.
Work Cited
Culture of Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Japan.html
Friedman, S. (1992, December). The Changing Roles of Women in Japanese Society. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www2.gol.com/users/friedman/writings/p1.html
Shan-Loong, M. (2000, March 14). Tradition & Change – Examining Gender Roles in Japan. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://marklsl.tripod.com/Writings/japan.htm