New page added: 2nd May 2022
Dividing the Sexes: The Modern Evolution of Japanese Gender Roles in Marriage Family Society Japan has a deep-rooted belief that husbands should be breadwinners and wives should stay at home and look after the children. But when did this view arise, and is it a realistic model for the modern age? In this article, we consider these issues as we investigate the history of marriage in Japan. Nippon.com. Dec 6, 2018.
Gender Gap: Marriage and Birthrate in Japan Explains the declining birthrate and rising age of marriage in Japan by observing: "In a society characterized by rigid demarcations between the roles of men and women in the workplace and in the home, many women feel marriage will trap them in the role of mother and wife and leave little room for pursuits outside the home." It also suggests married women in japan are like single mothers in reality because they get so little help form their husbands. The data used is a bit old! Harvard International Review18.Aug. 2019.
Japanese family law must change This article looks at two parts of the Japanese family law that discriminate against women and have negative effects on them and their children, sometimes resulting in their children not being registered in the koseki. East Asia Forum, 10 Mar 2022.
Japan upholds rule that married couples must have same surname Court decision is a setback for campaigners who argued 19th-century law violates civil rights and in practice forces women to take their husband’s name. Guardian, 16 Dec, 2015.
Update discriminatory Civil Code A married couple can use the wife’s maiden name, but in most cases the surname of the husband is used. The Japan Times, 4 Mar 2015.
Japan’s Marital System Reform: The Fūfubessei Movement for Individual Rights by Etsuko Toyoda "This article spotlights a push for human rights amongst Japanese women and men supporting a marital law revision that will allow spouses to maintain their individual surnames." In the section on The Japanese Marital System, it looks at the connections between marriage, surname, koseki and the ie system. The Asia Pacific Journal: June 25, 2020
Why same-sex marriage is not the ultimate tool for queer liberation by TL McCormick, University of Johannesburg. This article makes a queer critique of same-sex marriage based on three points: it is only for people who identify as gay and lesbian; it gives privileges that unmarried people don't have; and marriage is the place where the state regulates the family, gender, race and patriarchy. The Conversation, 14 Oct 2018.
Criticism of marriage Includes a wide range of different critiques of marriage including brief summaries of feminist and queer critiques. Wikipedia.
Marriage Is an Inherently Unfeminist Institution by Rajvi Desai This essay argues, in the Indian context, against marriage for two main reason: it is based in the ownership or control of women and marriage is rooted in patriarchy so it can never be equal. The Swaddle, 31 Jul 2019.
Centuries ago, women ruled Japan. What changed? This article looks at how female rulers in the past in Japan and how, drawing on Western ideas, the Imperial family became male dominated as Japan became a formally patriarchal society in the Meiji Period. CNN, 28 Apr 2019.
The rise of ‘corona divorce’ amid Japan’s domestic violence shadow pandemic This article looks at domestic violence was rising in Japan before Covid but the pandemic has made it worse. "The pandemic has exposed the deep-rooted problem of gender inequality in our societies, including income disparity, uneven political and socio-economic representation, and harmful cultural and social stereotypes." Amnesty International, 17 Aug 2020.
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Wives Do Seven Times As Much Housework As Husbands in Japan While women are increasingly joining the workforce in Japan, wives still do much more housework than husbands. nippon.com, 30 Sep 2019.
>>> More on Childcare and Domestic Labour >>>