Final Product 😄

In my primary research, my interviewee has experienced all the aspects of being a Japanese woman, wife, mom, and worker in Japan's society, and based on the answers, some came to me as a surprise. As my interviewee attended an all-girl’s school from middle through higher education University, they were enlightened by the many female professors and leaders who graduated from that same institution. Unlike public schools, their teachings were to empower women rather than enforce gender stereotypes. To my surprise, women's studies were a required class to take in the duration of her education, first introduced in high school and then in-depth during university. It is taught that "women can thrive in the world equally to men," (Appendix A & B, 2024) where women can also be in positions of power and make changes to the world. Rather than looking at limitations as a woman, they teach students how to see the potential in themselves as people in businesses, "not using being a woman as an excuse." (Appendix A & B, 2024) Unlike the male-dominated businesses, the interviewee was surrounded by female professors who had graduated from the same university for their undergraduate studies. Of course, the interviewee was not blinded about the female inequality as the University has taught about Japan’s slow social advancement. However, the reality of being a woman in Japan was not in play until they graduated (Appendix A & B, 2024).

Generally, Japanese people believe that women's primary, and possibly only role, in society is to marry and bear children and that should be their sole purpose (Appendix A & B, 2024, BBC News, 2023, Belarmino & Roberts, 2019, Crabtree & Muroga, 2021, Nemoto, 2016). Upon graduating, the interviewee gathered that women not working and devotion to their family and household was the "prevailing norm for women." (Appendix A & B, 2024) It's also considered normal for women to not even attend higher education because they will go on to marry and have children, so the idea of pursuing an undergraduate degree is thought to not make sense (Crabtree & Muroga, 2021). In a previous study, the idea of women going to college was overall disagreed upon because they need to instead focus on finding a husband. Based on the results, 65% of people believe that to be true, with the average of men agreeing more. Alongside, it is also generally agreed that women should limit their knowledge to find a significant other so that they don't intimidate their male partner with an average of 75% agreeing, again men agreeing more (Crabtree & Muroga, 2021).

Women's perceived role in society, as mothers and wives, has an impact on women who are interested in working in jobs. Since people generally believe that women should quit their jobs after having children to be mothers, companies don't see a reason to hire a woman since they may leave shortly (Appendix A & B, 2024, Belarmino & Roberts, 2019). Even before being married or having children, companies may ask a woman about their plans on those topics as if it were part of their plan. My interviewee experienced being asked questions about their course of action after marrying and how they would work while bearing children "even though I was not yet married." (Appendix A & B, 2024). Due to the assumption of marrying and bearing children, whether or not they actually want to, women generally aren’t given the positions they desire. This perception of women’s stereotype reinforces the standard of women to stay at home because the employer views no benefit in a woman who won’t be staying long term. So, it reinforces the idea that women should stay at home and not work as there is no point thus pushing a reliance on finding a man to fulfill that prophecy. 

Even after landing a job, their position as a woman was heavily influenced in their workplace. Not only do they get paid less than men as they rank 117th out of 121 countries in wage equality (Khalil, 2023), they have to perform special duties, working overtime without getting paid. Based on the interviewee, arriving the earliest, cleaning the workplace, and not being paid for it was part of the "unspoken agreement" however, the youngest male co-workers did not have to endure the struggle (Appendix A & B, 2024). It was as if the woman in the company was there to support every male figure, similar to how society believes women's role is to support their husbands (Appendix A & B, 2024, Crabtree & Muroga, 2021, Belarmino & Roberts 2019). Men also disregard their female co-workers as equals by using derogatory terms or other inappropriate statements (Belarmino & Roberts, 2019). After the actions of a male coworker were shown to be wrong, my interviewee voiced that they did not listen to instructions which he did not take lightly. Rather than listening and acknowledging their wrong-doing, they dismiss the interviewee and respond, "You're a woman, so just stay quiet and smile." (Appendix A & B, 2024) Unfortunately, this is not uncommon for women in Japan. 

In another instance, a woman experienced negative comments about their appearance by a male boss, nit-picking at their lumps, mentioning their age, and since the boss is not attracted to them, they are better fit to be a mistress (Nemoto, 2016). It is also commonly thought that if a woman were to not wear makeup to work, it is considered rude to the boss as they don't try to appear attractive (Belarmino, Melinda, 2019). On the same topic of appearance, Japan's strict dress code in professional settings has also been hard for women as they have to bear the pain of wearing heels every day. With conversation stirring and more women speaking up about it, a movement called "#KUTOO" was formed with 32,000 signatures to fight against wearing heels; however, this was not effective in changing the dress code (FRANCE 24, 2020). 

Much of the inequality in the workspace can be because of the low percentage of women in high positions, specifically 10% (FRANCE 24, 2020). Not enough women are in leadership positions which fuels the power men have over women no matter the chain of command. As Japanese men “don’t appreciate women giving instructions,” (Appendix the lack of women in such positions will furthermore diminish those who are in those higher positions. However, the low percentage is a reflection of the female representation in government. Unfortunately, only about "2% of Japan's local leaders" are women, it goes to show the lack of female representation in such high positions of power (BBC News, 2023). One woman in particular, Satoko Kishimoto, shares her experience as the first mayor of her area as well as one of the few female mayors currently. She believes that the inequality in Japan is a "national crisis" that has been the same for decades because of the "care work" they are socially expected to do. This prevents women from reaching their full potential in Japan’s workforce and economy and furthermore, prevents Japan from reaching its full potential (BBC News, 2023). 

Despite there being very little social progress, women in Japan continue to protest for equality in business and society even when their voices are pushed down. Movements such as #KUTOO and #MeToo are prominent in Japan and continue to occur to create discussions and voice out personal experiences regarding sexual harassment and unfair policies (FRANCE 24, 2020). The continuity of women voicing out their experiences is important as it shows resilience in the community even if not much progress has been made.

Official Research Paper ❗