WOMEN IN JAPANESE SOCIETY: CONSTRAINT AND FULFILLMENT
WOMEN IN JAPANESE SOCIETY: CONSTRAINT AND FULFILLMENT

Summary/Abstract: The approach I take in this paper has been inspired, in large part, by my reflections on the relationship between the Japanese women and men on the one hand, and by the old maxims about Japanese women, on the other hand. In this paper I want to find out if the common stereotypes about Japanese women will take time to be demolished or if nowadays, such stereotypes bear little resemblance to reality. Can women in a modern nation continue to be dutiful daughter, virtuous wife and wise mother? Women’s ideal for a husband was popularly believed to be one who possessed the “three highs” – a high level of education, a high salary, and physical height. Does the era of the kanai, the woman inside the house, or of the sengyoshufu, the professional housewife, have come to an end?

• Details
• Contents