Japan finishes 91st in world gender equality rankings

[Astroboy]

If you really want to go there....Is it not logical if any country in the world can be fairly deemed a "rape culture" why not start with one that has an ACTUAL comic superhero with the brand of a "Rape Man." ??

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/02/world/main571280.shtml

Sex crimes in Japan have surged in recent years, with rape cases jumping 40 percent to 2,228 in 2001, from around 1,600 four years earlier, according to the National Police Agency. Offenses such as groping and obscenity tripled to 9,326 cases in 2001 from a decade ago.

The increase is due at least in part to a greater inclination by women to report attacks to police. Since the Super Free scandal broke, more of its alleged victims have come forward.

But most assaulted women in Japan still stay silent, said Shoichi Kodama, a National Police Agency investigator. Often, they are accused of having invited trouble, especially in the summer when women wear light clothes. And rapists sometimes photograph the assault, threatening to release the prints if the victims seek help.

Media reports also have a blame-the-victim flavor. Many of the women attending the Super Free parties were depicted as rural bumpkins of about 20 or a bit younger looking for city boys at brand-name universities. Some commentators said they were simply out of their league and lost control during the drinking games.

During a Parliament debate, lawmaker Seiichi Ota, a 57-year-old former Cabinet minister, got a laugh when he quipped: "At least gang rapists are still vigorous. Isn't that at least a little closer to normal?"

A few days later, a weekly magazine said Yasuo Fukuda, the Cabinet's chief spokesman, told reporters at an off-the-record briefing that women were partly to blame in the case of gang rape.

"The problem is that there are lots of women dressed provocatively," he was quoted as saying. Fukuda, who is also the minister of gender equality, said his comment was taken out of context. "I meant something completely different," he said, but didn't elaborate.

Yoko Yoshida, a staff member at the Tokyo Rape Crisis Center, said the wink-and-nudge attitude is grounded in a popular culture that often depicts rape as an act of passion, not violence, and that women who resist don't really mean it.

Myths are perpetuated by an underground pop culture in which rape is a common genre.

Rape-themed videos account for about a fifth of the porno offerings at chain rental stores, with titles like "Idol Rape Crime File" ranking among the top five in weekly X-rated sales. Popular comic books and video games often depict rape fantasies where teenage girls, nurses and housewives willingly submit to rapes and other sex assaults from relatives, neighbors or even police. A 17-year-old high school student arrested in June for allegedly raping 31 women reportedly told police he was trying to re-enact scenes he saw in porno books and magazines.

Are there any stat?

Or are you reading Mainichi Wai Wai News only ?

 

[pipokun]

...
Just the 4 things: Education, Health, Economic Participation, and Political Empowerment.

窶堙?homeless women"
There must be some in Japan (I don't deny it), but it was an eyeopener, at least, for me when my non-Japanese friend pointed out the non-existence of them.
And it is, of course, a result of the four things above.

 

[Elizabeth]

つ"homeless women"
There must be some in Japan (I don't deny it), but it was an eyeopener, at least, for me when my non-Japanese friend pointed out the non-existence of them.
And it is, of course, a result of the four things above.

Sorry I only know it from the language side. Enter the temporary abodes of Boshi-seikatsu-shien-shisetsu, Seikatsu-hogo-shisetsu, and Fujin-hogo-shisetsu. Not "homeless" as "rough sleepers" and less than 5% I suppose but more likely due to welfare policies, employment opportunities etc distinct from men. Falling under the realm of "economic participation."


Everything about Japan reflects an exceeding gender gap.

 

[Astroboy]

Abstract Feminists have long argued that structural inequality between men and women influences the prevalence of rape. The patriarchal maintenance hypothesis predicts that gender inequality increases rape, while gender equality ameliorates rape (Whaley and Messner 2002). Alternatively, the backlash hypothesis predicts that gender equality exacerbates the rape problem (Russell 1975; Williams and Holmes 1981). To date, no study has explored this relationship with respect to race. In the present study, we use a cross-sectional design with racially disaggregated census and crime data in order to assess the differences among White and Black women in terms of their status along educational, employment, income, and occupational dimensions, and their risk of victimization. The findings indicate that the relationship between equality and rape is masked in the model that includes all women, but becomes apparent in the race specific models.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/vl58771673208042/

Though I didn't read this academic book, this book may be telling that higher Rape rate countries like USA and Europe are gender inequality countries.

 

[Elizabeth]

Though I didn't read this academic book, this book may be telling that higher Rape rate countries like USA and Europe are gender inequality countries.

Well, there is data both ways on that. An equally compelling case could be made that sex assults are more grossly underreported in gender inequality countries. It's slowly changing but women often don't report rape because they feel shamed by it or fear criticism. Just as lots (the majority ?) of women used to bear train molestation instead of bringing it to everyone's attention thinking "It is just a part of growing up for girls."

 

[Tullera]

Gender equality is about being able to be treated fairly. If I am more qualified for a job then I should get it instead of a man. When I am in the job I should be treated with the same respect as any man with my qualifications and experience would be and I should be paid the same for the same effort.

My daughter taught English in Japan for a year. She met many wonderful people but her Japanese boss was a horrid man who encouraged a culture of hostility toward females and a culture of sexual assault within his male teachers. None of the crimes these male teachers committed (some against foreign English teachers, some against Japanese students) were reported to police. Maybe that is why the stats in Japan look so good for sexual assault.

 

[Astroboy]

Gender equality is about being able to be treated fairly. If I am more qualified for a job then I should get it instead of a man. When I am in the job I should be treated with the same respect as any man with my qualifications and experience would be and I should be paid the same for the same effort.
My daughter taught English in Japan for a year. She met many wonderful people but her Japanese boss was a horrid man who encouraged a culture of hostility toward females and a culture of sexual assault within his male teachers. None of the crimes these male teachers committed (some against foreign English teachers, some against Japanese students) were reported to police. Maybe that is why the stats in Japan look so good for sexual assault.

Some years ago, I visited Sydney on vacation for a few days, but during such a short stay, I met the men doing gesture some sexual harrasment to ME (I am a man!) in a tourist bar located at the high-end district. They were nicely dressed up and looked like a typical businessmen working at financial companies.

So, this kind of thing must be very common in Australia. And If such harrasment is included, the stats must be even worse, I think.

 

[hepta]

91 st ????????

Wow that's terrible. I though Japan would be around 50th or 60th.