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.
