Japanese MALE CHAUVINISM

[ricecake]

This is a world know fact,at least all over Asia.

HOW PREVALENT IS IT in today's modern Japanese society ?

 

[Glenn]

Moved to "Society and Gender" because this has nothing to do with culture shock.

 

[nice gaijin]

ricecake, since your capitalization scheme follows no logic, could you please stop doing that? It makes it hard[er] to read your posts.

 

[Ma Cherie]

ricecake, since your capitalization scheme follows no logic, could you please stop doing that? It makes it hard[er] to read your posts.

Yes, please, it's beginning to get on my nerves. I don't know what you hope to accomplish by doing it, but to me, it only shows that you don't know when to use capital letters. If you're trying to emphasize your point, you don't need capitalize every other word.

 

[ricecake]

My apology,I thought I could get the points clearer with big fat letters.

Now,it's brought to my attention for they are " eyesores " to some of my fellow formers.

 

[kirei_na_me]

Yeah, the capitilization is kind of...distracting...or something.

To me, it also gives the impression that you are really trying to emphasize only the negative points of Japan, and the Japanese people, as much as you can.

 

[Onigiri Chan]

Whoo! Talk about off-topic.

I'm really curious, is male chauvinism in Japan an issue?
I've heard cases on both sides, but I'd like to hear about it from someone who's experienced life in Japan and who has been more deeply exposed to Japanese culture.

It seems to me that at this point, it isn't an issue.
But then I've never been out of my country.

 

[kooo]

rambilings, sorry

Japanese sexism is a strange concept that I am personally conflicted by. If you attack it straight out as male chauvinism and the like, I think it's ignoring a lot of cultural and societal history and values. Men also have very strict gender roles; just as generally women can't really advance very high in business, men can't really live a more domestic life. Of course, I won't go so far as to say that men in Japan have just as hard a time in life as women, (I do not believe I am incorrect in saying that rape and sexual harassment and the like often go underreported, and I think the concept of "male privilege" is very prevalent in Japan, more so even than in the US.) I am just pointing out that the issue is difficult.

But on the other hand, I think it's unfortunate feminism in Japan seemed to have ended at "women can wear pants and vote."

 

[pipokun]

...
But on the other hand, I think it's unfortunate feminism in Japan seemed to have ended at "women can wear pants and vote."

Don't worry, we have similar situation like in your country. Super-liberal heads tend to believe they are always and absolutely right.
For example, there still remains some long-lasting mountain worshiping cultures here, when locals asked an activist group to refrain from going up a mountain, some activists did it, even though there are tons of mountains they can climb up without any frictions.

 

[kooo]

Don't worry, we have similar situation like in your country. Super-liberal heads tend to believe they are always and absolutely right.
For example, there still remains some long-lasting mountain worshiping cultures here, when locals asked an activist group to refrain from going up a mountain, some activists did it, even though there are tons of mountains they can climb up without any frictions.

Of course, super-conservatives are not any better.
To me, what's interesting about these sort of debates between reasonable people (not those who are sexist out of some misogynist reason) is that they usually come down to preserving certain aspects of tradition versus equality. Like I read reports of housewives in Japan were protesting a female emperor not because they believed women were inferior, but because they wanted to preserve a tradition.

I think the reason American women "gained" some aspects of equality so quickly is because we did not have such a long culture of women being "inferior" (for lack of a better term) to men. Of course our country was founded by the Puritans but I think while our culture was still really forming, we had the Age of Enlightenment which had feminist ideals and ect ect. Sorry, random, I know.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I am a man, so I cannot answer the question to anyone's liking, but....

I don't think assigned gender roles necessary means that one sex becomes inherently "superior" or "inferior". But then again, I like feminine women, and I always have.

I'm sorry, but to try to actually address the OP would be a Phd dissertation. It's not nearly so black and white that there's a quick answer....

 

[Mike Cash]

This is a world know fact,at least all over Asia.

HOW PREVALENT IS IT in today's modern Japanese society ?

You have to ask? I thought this was a world known fact, at least all over Asia.

 

[kooo]

I am a man, so I cannot answer the question to anyone's liking, but....
I don't think assigned gender roles necessary means that one sex becomes inherently "superior" or "inferior". But then again, I like feminine women, and I always have.
I'm sorry, but to try to actually address the OP would be a Phd dissertation. It's not nearly so black and white that there's a quick answer....

I know what you mean. I'm sorry if I came off that way as being too brash and ignorant with my judgement u__u.
Part of the reason I dislike certain aspects of the modern feminist movement is because the "goal" in someways is for women to basically act what's considered masculine, which I think is wrong in a lot of ways (not that a woman acting masculine is wrong, but actively encouraging it is, because that's saying that feminity is inferior which is obviously very damaging to women. I consider myself very much a feminist, but I am also incredibly feminine and enjoy that part of me.)

But I think it comes down to that there should be a choice...like a woman who is skilled enough should be able to advance in the workplace and the average woman should not have to face so much discrimination either. Of course men should be able to act feminine and domestic too. But, now again I am just looking at it with my western viewpoint...

 

[MajideSaiaku]

All though I'm all for Sex equality, sometimes we in the west get a bit carried away with our fanatical devotion to it, its good to see that just recently, the balance is being tweaked right, for a few decades women were getting the more quality then men type of equality, but, sometimes the west cannot just assume its in the right to export its ideas on how the universe should be.

We need to help, that is HELP Japan address its in-equality issues without actively, or seeming to attack quite harmless Cultural aspects of Japanese society.

Allowing a Japanese women to work to her full potential and acheive equal pay is acceptable, banning the phalic symbol of one Japanese festival because it seems to male is one example of un-acceptable interference in Japanese society.

But the west has long had to struggle with our new found "fair" society while trying to maintain the quite legitimate aspects of culture and society.

[/rant]

 

[Onigiri Chan]

In my eyes the preservation of tradition is a fine goal.
And I agree with Kooo - our western culture was not so aged or developed; any sexism that we have encountered was likely so quickly overpowered because of the youth of our nation.
I greatly appreciate cultural heritage, tradition, and beliefs - and I also feel that there is nothing wrong with men and women having 'roles' that outline their gender. There is nothing wrong with women raising children, or cooking - and nothing wrong with men playing sports or working full-time. However, there is also nothing wrong with men staying at home if they so-choose and women excelling in the work place.

I'm not a fan of modern feminism because I find that the goals are less about gender equality and more about raising women up to a masculine level - like Kooo said that in itself is a denial of the importance of a woman's "role". (I really agree with you!) Additionally, beating down men and all things masculine is ridiculous and, to me, suggests that the women who claim they strive for equality are hardly deserving of it.
Women are women and men are men. There is nothing wrong with that.
What's important is having a choice to pursue the things that you aspire to, as a female or as a male.

I think Mikawa was exactly right by stating that gender roles are not inherently "inferior" or "superior".

 

[Ma Cherie]

In my eyes the preservation of tradition is a fine goal.
And I agree with Kooo - our western culture was not so aged or developed; any sexism that we have encountered was likely so quickly overpowered because of the youth of our nation.
I greatly appreciate cultural heritage, tradition, and beliefs - and I also feel that there is nothing wrong with men and women having 'roles' that outline their gender. There is nothing wrong with women raising children, or cooking - and nothing wrong with men playing sports or working full-time. However, there is also nothing wrong with men staying at home if they so-choose and women excelling in the work place.
I'm not a fan of modern feminism because I find that the goals are less about gender equality and more about raising women up to a masculine level - like Kooo said that in itself is a denial of the importance of a woman's "role". (I really agree with you!) Additionally, beating down men and all things masculine is ridiculous and, to me, suggests that the women who claim they strive for equality are hardly deserving of it.
Women are women and men are men. There is nothing wrong with that.
What's important is having a choice to pursue the things that you aspire to, as a female or as a male.
I think Mikawa was exactly right by stating that gender roles are not inherently "inferior" or "superior".

In response to your comment about modern feminism. Well that particular group of feminists you're talking (i.e. beating down) that is only a minority group of feminists. The reason why I am responding to this is because I don't want you to have the image that feminism is all about bashing men. Over the years, I am very disgusted with the way feminism is presented. Now, the word "feminist" has negative connotations. However, what you said as far as pursuing things that one apsires to, that is what feminism is all about.

Sorry for being off-topic.:sorry:

 

[Dollporn]

Seconed. I'm afraid to call myself a feminist because there is a general way of looking at feminsm now as something anti-male, when in fact that isn't what it is, it's just how it's being presented by popculture in a lot of cases.
I do agree with preserving culteral interests too, but I sort of think that individuals are more important than traditions.
And I don't see how a woman getting less paid for the same job as a man does, or a woman just as qualified as man can not move up to alevel he can, can be justified by some sort of traditional view.
If the case be opposite, that would be just as wrong.

 

[Minty]

I heard from my grandparents who studied in Japan for years in the past Japanese women, had to walk behind their men. But not anymore.

I found an article about International Comparative Survey on Gender Equality.

According to the survey results, all the surveyed nations see a lower percentage in respondents who agree with the concept, "A husband should work outside, while a wife should be a full-time homemaker," compared with 20 years ago. While this percentage has dropped by half in Japan for these 20 years, Japan still has the second highest percentage (36.8%) after the Philippines (44.8%). This high percentage represents a major gap with other surveyed nations. The Western nations see relatively lower percentages in this field. So does South Korea have a low percentage (13.2%).
The survey has also revealed that household responsibilities disproportionately fall on "wives and female partners' in Japan and South Korea. On the other hand, all family members including the husband and children tend to share household responsibilities in the other nations. In Japan, neither husbands nor children willingly help with housekeeping chores.

:futon:

Read the full article on:

http://www.gender.go.jp/english_contents/women2004/news/n04.html