I have heard that in Old Japan the Male or Husband of the family held Life and Death over his wife is that true? I have heard that in New Japan that the wife pays all of the bills and handles all of the money is that true?
My question is How much has the relationship between Husband And Wife chainged form Old Japan to New Japan.
That is a big question with a lot to look into. However, I think we can hammer out some generalizations.
When you say "old" Japan, what is "old?" 1100's, 1500's, 1800's? I'm not familiar with ancient gender relations, but the example you site of a man holding life and death control over his wife is, I believe, something of an overblown story. Sure, men probably did kill their wives for a variety of reasons and some probably even got away with it, but a few extreme examples does not make an accurate picture of general gender relations.
It seems, from what I can remember reading - sorry I don't have the sources with me - but country women or women of low-ranking nobles/samurai enjoyed greater freedom and voice both within and without the home than aristocratic women. Like in other cultures, high ranking families often married off their daughters in political unions and other such property-like exchanges. Women were in no way equal as we think of it today, but then society was not equal for men either. Women and men had spheres where they conducted and enjoyed almost complete control. Women might not be found in seats of power (though there are a few notable exceptions and women who ruled form behind the scenes), but inside the home, often they had the last or equal word in domestic matters. Country women could divorce and run away and there is little a husband cound do about it. They also seemed to have had almost full control of the reproductive rate of the family, and abortion was not uncommon, depending on the studies you read.
Weather or not we should think of them as being viewed as property is not within my power to say. However, it would suspect that the more important women were to the basic survival of the family unit, like on a farm, the greater freedom/leeway they could expect (thought I could be way off-base;just working from my often flawed memory - corrections encouraged...).
Your second assumption, that women hold the purse strings at home, is more accurate, but changing slowly if my young married friends and wife are any gauge. A salaried worker would often give his pay directly to his wife who would pay out an allowance and manage most of the day-to-day finances. Large purchases like cars, homes, big vacations would of course be made together, but the wife would probably have a better understanding of the household finances and the fesability of large purchases.
I do not think this is an unnatural arrangement (not that you were implying it was otherwise). With a husband at work so often and for so long, when could he find time to keep abreast of family finances on a minute level? It is not his job to budget for food each month and find what is on sale at the stores. Why wouldn't that job fall naturally to the member of the family in the best position to manage it?
As for your last question, not being a trained or well-read in trends of gender relations or an anthropologist, I will leave it to others to flesh out. However, when looking at trends in Japan from a western standpoint (and a good deal of subconscience value-judgement does go on when talking about such topics), societies tends to change slower than their political or economic components. Japan modernized and attempted to change in 40 years what took the west more then 400. Political structures can change overnight or over a few years, social structures tend to move a great deal slower.
I have heard that in Old Japan the Male or Husband of the family held Life and Death over his wife is that true? I have heard that in New Japan that the wife pays all of the bills and handles all of the money is that true?
My question is How much has the relationship between Husband And Wife chainged form Old Japan to New Japan.
What I ment by old Japan was the Medevil times the times of Shoguns and Samuri :samurai:
Most of my knowledge of Family matters comes from the Movie Shogun LOL.
But that is not a great learning film.
This was juist a question I as wondering about. Thanks
PS around the time 1000-1600 Thoes are the years that I was Calling OLD
We are currently living after the end of the world.
Wakaranai wrote:
> I have heard that in Old Japan the Male or Husband of the family
> held Life and Death over his wife is that true?
Well... That would be a nice thing for the wife, she can live as long the husband wanted, then again, it might not be so nice, I'm that there are reasons on why people have a short life span (around under 120 years for now), things can get pretty boring if you life too long.
> I have heard that in New Japan that the wife pays all of the bills
> and handles all of the money is that true?
If that's true, then now you know on why now Japanese females don't often get married.
> My question is How much has the relationship
> between Husband And Wife chainged form Old Japan to New Japan.
Probably the same thing around the world.
I think that 'New Japan' started during the Meiji 'restoration' era, though in a kind of way, 'New Japan' can also be considered started during the Tokugawa era (then again, the 17t~18th century can be considered as 'the end of the world' to many people around the world).
I can't speak about old Japan but I can tell you some things my mother in law told me about like,during the early years of her marriage (some 50 something years ago),the husbands were almost in total control of their wives.
She was the last one to take the ofuro(or bath),she had to wait for the husband to start the meal (he loved to drink sake before a meal so the waiting can take forever),she never walked ahead of her husband,(sanpo sagaru/ushiro)had to be 2,3 steps behind him.And the pressure to give him a boy to honor him and to continue the family lineage.(ala Masako sama ,huh?)
How much has the relationship changed since then? 180 degrees,I think.
In ancient times women in Japan were considered valued members of society, in part due to women-centered marriages through which women had influence on the religious and political ideas of the time.
However, from the 6th century onwards, a gradual change came, with a society emphasising women's inferiority, and led to a shift within society to a more patriarchal way of life. This was a GRADUAL change, and up until a transition in the 12th century towards a more feudal economy and government, upper class women still retained property rights and were often educated as they had been before.
From 1660-1868 rigid social controls were placed on women, which determined their social subordination. A historian, Sievers, refers to the position of samurai women of these times to nothing more than "borrowed wombs" whose only role in life was to produce male heirs.
The Meiji restoration of 1868 began a period of change , however, this was mainly social change for men. The provision against women's attendance at meetings stayed in place until it was abolished in 1922.
This is NOT to say, however, that the Meiji Restoration did nothing to release women from the strict social constraints they were held in before 1868. As the scholars S.H. Nolte and S.A. Hastings show that when the primary school education became conmpulsive in 1873, it was mandatory for both boys AND girls.
I read several months ago (maybe 1-2 years ago),
that many Japanese women are, initiating divorce,
and making their own lives.
Their marriages were "sort-of" arranged,
and now they are not accepting a dull
loveless marriage. Where in the past
society, pretty much forced them
to tolerate a dull loveless marriage.
As Japan's Women Move Up, Many Are Moving Out
By HOWARD W. FRENCH (NYT) 1127 words
March 25, 2003, Tuesday
Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 3 , Column 1
DISPLAYING FIRST 50 OF 1127 WORDS - Life was happy during the first 10 years of Tomoko Masunaga's married life. At the very least, as a middle-class housewife with two small children to raise, she was far too busy to focus on the nettles, Ms. Masunaga said. ... Serious problems in her marriage began to surface, though,...
Yes, there is no doubt that the women窶冱 position in Japanese society has improved over the years and that they are becoming more independent and some want divorce. I know many female Japanese who are independent, unmarried, and career-girls. However, there aren窶冲 many of those females in Japan.
This development is (and has been) a slow one though, as it was a very slow process with the added problem of governmental restrictive ideology from wartime Japan that enforced the belief that women should remain good wives and wise mothers.For while there were more women in the workforce than ever before with many women working outside the home for the first time, wages in the workforce continued to be based on expertise, and women were only ever regarded as temporary workers. This still happens today.
i had a good post here but i removed it beacoz it was basicaly saying japanese wmon are great! and weatern wemon suck lol and i dont want to upset anybody! ^_^
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
+ :gohan:= 
