現状、日本社会では依然として差別や偏見が数多く存在し、多様性の理解は浸透していないと考える。私はジェンダー問題や子どもの貧困に焦点を当てていく。
以前、祖父と将来について会話した際に「就職に関してお前は女の子だから、結婚して主婦になるという道もあるが、お前の兄は男の子だから…」と言われた。私は「女の子だから」という差別ととれる言葉に不快感を覚えた。一方最近では「ジェンダーレス」という単語をよく耳にする。特にファッション業界におけるジェンダーレスが浸透している。私が通っていた高校では途中からジェンダーレスの制服が採用された。
しかし祖父との会話や国としてジェンダーレスに向けた取り組みが進んでいないなど、依然としてジェンダーに基づく偏見や社会的立場における不平等は一つの課題だと考える。社会全体が男性らしさ、女性らしさの固定概念を捨て、自分らしくありのままに生きることのできる環境づくりをしたいと考える。そのためにも一人ひとりがジェンダーに関する知識を正しく理解することが必要である。また２０２１年の世界経済フォーラムによる「ジェンダー指数ギャップ」で日本は１５６カ国中１２０位に位置する。特に経済分野、政治分野における順位は非常に低い。経済分野において男女間の賃金格差が大きいことが挙げられる。シングルマザーは子育てと仕事の両立が困難なことから、非正規雇用として働くことが余儀なくされ、貧困につながる。すなわち、男女格差の問題は貧困という異なる課題にも影響している。
私は高校時代の研修でベトナム・カンボジアに訪れたことをきっかけに貧困という課題に関心を抱いた。現地の観光施設には物売りの子どもたちが多くおり、私たち観光客に対して買ってもらおうと必死に腕をつかむ姿に衝撃を受けた。たとえお金を払ったとしても子どもたち自身に使用されることは少ないという現実を知っていたため、何もできなかった私は非常にやるせない気持ちになった。コロナウイルスの影響もあり、日本では貧困がさらに深刻化している。特に「子どもの貧困」は重大な課題であり、現在日本の子どもの七人に一人が貧困といわれている。ありがたいことに私は恵まれた環境で育ってきたため、それを知ったときは、あまり実感がわかなかった。調べていくうちに貧困対策の一つに子ども食堂という活動があることを学んだ。教科書やネットの情報だけではなく、当事者の声を聞きたいと考え、大学のサークルを通してこの活動に参加した。障がいのある子どもを持つひとり親家庭や、在日外国人の家族など様々な人と交流を行った。経済的に苦しい状況であること、家族関係の悩み、新しいことに挑戦させてあげたいという母親の強い思いなどを知った。この経験から貧困という課題は単に経済的問題だけでなく、家族関係や障がい、仕事なども含めた複合的な問題だと感じた。また当事者の声を実際に聞くことの重要性とともに子ども食堂のように悩みを打ち明けることができ、それを共有できる場所の必要性を学んだ。
ゼミの中で意見交換をすることで自分にはない観点を学び、一つの課題に対し多角的な視野で思考する力を育む良い機会にしたい。多様性や平等の実現に向けてより理解を深めていきたいと考える。
Additional thoughts from 1st class:
I learnt about the Ainu culture and Okinawa’s dialect(ウチナーグチ) from Yuka and Tom. Yuka is from Hokkaido. She was taught Ainu in elementary education. As she got older, she found this culture was known for the locals, however, it is not widely known. Also, Tom is from Okinawa prefecture. Youngers who live in Okinawa cannot speak this language and it is difficult for adults except for the elderly to speak it. Because there are no curriculums which teach them about language culture now. I do not know these cultures that much and it is impossible to convey all of them, so, I want to know what tradition to protect is and what is the value of culture.
I’m interested in LGBTQ＋. In comparison with foreign countries, the understanding of them doesn't progress in Japan. I learnt there is an environment that can come out in the US from an exchange student, however, they can’t bring themselves to talk about it to anyone in Japan. I want to know why they don't admit it and what we should do to build a society in which everyone can have a good life. That’s why, I must reconsider the structure of today’s society.
A lot of fields which are the law, education, media, and government are concerned with the problem. For example, there is not the law about same-sex marriage to receive the same public services as married couples. Also, when I was a high school student, the rule of school uniform changed. Female students can wear not only skirts but also slacks. This is a good decision, but, male students can’t wear skirts. This rule is unfinished. All students should wear the school uniform you want to wear.
I should change the public opinions and social conditions. I want to learn how to change gender stereotypes in detail in the zemi.
DeepL translation: At present, there remains a great deal of discrimination and prejudice in Japanese society, and understanding of diversity is not widespread, in our view. I will focus on gender issues and child poverty.
When I used to have a conversation with my grandfather about my future, he told me, "In terms of finding a job, you are a girl, so you can get married and become a housewife, but your brother is a boy...". I felt uncomfortable with the term 'because you are a girl', which could be seen as discriminatory. On the other hand, these days we often hear the word 'genderless'. Genderlessness is particularly prevalent in the fashion industry. At the high school I attended, genderless uniforms were adopted in the middle of the school year.
However, I believe that gender-based prejudice and inequality in social position is still one challenge, as evidenced by conversations with my grandfather and the lack of progress towards genderless initiatives as a country. I would like to create an environment in which society as a whole can abandon stereotypes of masculinity and femininity and live as they are. In order to achieve this, it is necessary for each and every one of us to have a correct understanding of gender knowledge. In addition, in the World Economic Forum's Gender Index Gap in 2021, Japan was ranked It ranks 120th. The rankings are particularly low in the economic and political sectors. The large wage gap between men and women in the economic sector can be attributed to the large wage gap between men and women. Single mothers are forced to work as informal workers due to difficulties in balancing childcare and work, which leads to poverty. In other words, the issue of gender inequality affects the different challenges of poverty.
I became interested in the issue of poverty after visiting Vietnam and Cambodia as part of my high school training. I was shocked to see many children peddling their wares in local tourist facilities, desperately grabbing the arms of us tourists in an attempt to get us to buy. Knowing the reality that even if we paid money, it would rarely be used by the children themselves, I felt very helpless to do anything about it. Poverty is becoming even worse in Japan, partly due to the coronavirus. Child poverty is a particularly serious issue, with one in seven children in Japan said to be poor today. Thankfully, I grew up in a privileged environment, so when I found out about this, I didn't really feel it. As I researched, I learnt that one of the measures against poverty is an activity called a children's cafeteria. I wanted to hear the voices of the people involved, rather than just information from textbooks or the internet, so I joined this activity through a university club. I interacted with various people, including single parents with disabled children and foreign families living in Japan. I learnt about their economically difficult situation, their worries about family relationships and their mothers' strong desire to let them try new things. This experience made me realise that poverty is not only an economic problem, but also a complex problem that includes family relationships, disabilities and work. I also learnt the importance of actually listening to the voices of the people concerned and the need for places like children's cafeterias where people can confide their problems and share them.
I would like to make this a good opportunity to exchange opinions in the seminar, to learn perspectives that I do not have and to develop the ability to think about a single issue from multiple perspectives. I would like to deepen my understanding more towards the realisation of diversity and equality.
Additional thoughts from 1st class:
I learnt about the Ainu culture and Okinawa’s dialect(ウチナーグチ) from Yuka and Tom. Yuka is from Hokkaido. She was taught Ainu in elementary education. As she got older, she found this culture was known for the locals, however, it is not widely known. Also, Tom is from Okinawa prefecture. Youngers who live in Okinawa cannot speak this language and it is difficult for adults except for the elderly to speak it. Because there are no curriculums which teach them about language culture now. I do not know these cultures that much and it is impossible to convey all of them, so, I want to know what tradition to protect is and what is the value of culture.
I’m interested in LGBTQ＋. In comparison with foreign countries, the understanding of them doesn't progress in Japan. I learnt there is an environment that can come out in the US from an exchange student, however, they can’t bring themselves to talk about it to anyone in Japan. I want to know why they don't admit it and what we should do to build a society in which everyone can have a good life. That’s why, I must reconsider the structure of today’s society.
A lot of fields which are the law, education, media, and government are concerned with the problem. For example, there is not the law about same-sex marriage to receive the same public services as married couples. Also, when I was a high school student, the rule of school uniform changed. Female students can wear not only skirts but also slacks. This is a good decision, but, male students can’t wear skirts. This rule is unfinished. All students should wear the school uniform you want to wear.
I should change the public opinions and social conditions. I want to learn how to change gender stereotypes in detail in the zemi.