Interview with Japanese Native Speakers

今朝、日本語のプロジェクトのため日本人から、日本のカルチャーについて、色々聞いた。四人がきた。大学の交換プログラムでマレーシアに来た。USMには、日本人が少ないらしい。五人だけだって。

僕の研究のタイトルは今の日本の女性の地位だった。クラスに行く前、色々な問題を作った。このトピックは男性の日本人の伊藤さんにとってちょっと答えにくかったんだようだ。やはり日本の女性について知識あんまりなかった。でも、女性の好美さんにとって答えることができた。

そして僕達はしゃべりって、色々なことを話して、本当に面白かっただ。時間の経つのが非常に速いだと感じた。日本語も英語も話した。彼と彼女は簡単な日本語を使ったので、よく分かった。

伊藤さんは、日本には家族と住んでいなくて、一人でアパートに住んでいると言ってたので、すごくびくりした！。たしか、ここにはこれがあんまりないだろう。やはりカルチャーの相違だ。実は、時々そんな生活が欲しいだ。もっと自由だから。好美さんは、日本人としては英語が上手だ。イギリスやオーストラリアやインドネシア色々な国に行った。楽しい生活だね。好美さんも僕も寮の食堂の食べ物が好きじゃない。

しかし、時間がなんまりなかった。二人だけインタビューができた。インタビューしてから、レポートを書かなければならない。大変なあ。

The Position of Women in Japanese Society

One of the social aspects that captures my attention is the position of women in Japanese society. There is no denying that Japan makes Asian proud. What with its reputation as a technological giant. The automobile company, Honda, always comes to our mind whenever we think of cars, right?

Despite it all, ironically, I feel that the concept of egalitarianism, which holds that all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social and civil rights, is still something alien in Japan. The position of women is still not equal to that of men. To me, this a far cry from the image of a highly developed country such as Japan.

Why do I say so? Well, being a Japanese drama enthusiast, I found that those dramas have always portrayed women as weak and submissive to men. Men are always the ones who makes important decisions, and women stay silent, and listen. In the drama "魔女の条件", the mother of the main character, Michi, always listens to her own husband whether she agrees, or not. Whenever she wants to voice her opinions which are not in sync with her husband's, she will be shouted a loud "shut up!" The only thing she can do after that, is staying silent, although she feels very sad.

Apart from that, through the book "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" by Akira Mura and Naomi Hanaoka McGloin, my belief on the inferior position of Japanese women is strengthened. To quote the culture notes of chapter 14, 日本の女性，

Although Japan is changing from a man's society to one that is kinder to women, the tranformation is quite slow. Women are entering all phases of Japanese life, but still many position are closed to them. Female workers, because they are not given important jobs, have more freetime than their male counterparts.

it is crystal clear that the position of women in Japan is inferior to that of men as they are not being given the equal opportunity to succed.

In addition, Women in Japan states that "Gender inequality, however, continues in family life, the workplace, and popular values. The notion expressed in the proverbial phase "good wife, wise mother continues to influence beliefs about gender roles." Hence, this has clearly explained that gender inequlity is still prevalent in Japan today.

Besides, from the website Human Rights Solidarity, the article "JAPAN: Japanese Discrimination against Women", I realized that "In Japan, a rape victim must show evidence of having resisted the attack." and "Japan is the largest sex industry market for Asian women, with over 150,000 non-Japanese women in prostitution." To me, this is saddening because women are always being viewed as sex object in Japan, despite its reputation as Asia's economic superpower.

In short, I believe that in Japan, women still face discrimination, and there is huge discrepancy between the position of women and that of men. And, do you all agree with me? Your opinions are welcome.