Session 5 (10/24) - The Recovery and Challenges of Success in Japan

[clay dube]

The compressed ppt below doesn't include the videos, but does include the resources. I'm sorry we didn't have more time to discuss what you want to do. We can do that and discuss the last set of lectures on Wednesday, 11/4.

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[Brigid Schmidt]

Hi Khrystle, I can relate to you when it comes to feeling like I focused on myself and my career first and then got married "later" than I originally imagined. Although there was no family pressure to get married and education and career were greatly valued, I put some pressure on myself when it came to getting married. Growing up in the Midwest, I saw many friends get married in their 20's, so getting married in my early 30's felt "old." I now put societal pressures on myself about when to start a family. Even with the US and specifically the LA area making more efforts to promote women in their careers and starting families later, those thoughts and stigmas still exist. This seems to be even more so the case in Japan. While it is possible to be a working mother in the US, albeit sometimes difficult, many women are fully capable of being wonderful mothers and great at their jobs. However, the "Career Women in Japan" article talks about how women's career paths might be blocked when having a child. Yukako Kurose had a promising career at a corporate office in a department store for 15 years, but it ended when she had a baby. Because she was now leaving work at 6:30 to pick up her daughter, she was passed over for promotions and pushed into a clerical job until she finally quit. She said that Japanese work customs make it difficult for women to have both a family and a career. The article further mentions women in Japan have become more common on factory floors, but not very often in positions of authority. It suggests that if people are expected to work 15-hour days, then most women will give up to be with their families. In 2005, 10.1% of all management jobs in Japanese companies were held by women, on the other hand, in the US the same year, 42.5% of managerial jobs were held by women. 

However, I agree with you, Khrystle. It seems strange that the article ends with saying birthrates are declining in Japan because women there have children earlier, yet places like the US have higher fertility rates. Knowing everything I have been researching on my own, women tend to be more fertile in their 20's than in their 30's. The article suggests that in nations with greater workplace participation and equality women wait until their 30's to have children. This is interesting that they would say that gives the US higher fertility rates because more often friends I've known have had a harder time getting pregnant in their 30's than other friends in their 20's. I would be really interested to know more about this. 

[Tara Corral]

In the first video, I think the Confucsious subordination for women was very interesting how it always broke down a women's role. As a child a girl is subject to her father and the role continues no matter the age. First to her father then her husband and as she finally is mature enough she is then considered a subject to her son. Just to imagine that no matter your age or role in a household the women always belonged to some man in her family. The evolution of women's right in Japans Society is quiet a crazy journey especially because It seems that women's rights were confused with a job as time progressed. If you look at the role of women post war, their goal was to stay home and produce children. The goal was not to raise children but to produce children and that really stunts the amount of freedom they have. 

[Zoey McKinney]

One thing that stuck with me from our discussion last week was Professor Strausz's comment on teaching students about other countries' government systems, particularly democratic systems. He said that it can be eye-opening for students to learn that the American system is not the only system, and may not necessarily be the best system. This resonated with me, as someone who never had much exposure to other countries' modern governments. I learned so much about Japan's current government from Professor Strausz's lecture, and I think I would have benefited from learning about it earlier. We focus very heavily on educating our students about the American system, which makes sense given that we want them to be informed citizens who participate in this system. However, I do think it is easy for this to encourage a more narrow worldview. One of my Social Studies standards in first grade is to teach "symbols, icons, and traditions of the United States," and I have been very conscious of doing so without promoting blind patriotism. Another reason this point stuck out to me is that, as we near the election, I have seen many expressions of distrust in our democratic system. As Professor Strausz suggested, learning about other countries' governments can help students consider ways in which ours can be improved.

[Zoey McKinney]

The readings and discussion on women in the workplace in Japan were very interesting because the work culture is very different from American work culture. It seems clear to me that there needs to be a cultural shift when it comes to expectations of employees in the workplace as well as expectations of women in the home before women can really gain equal social status in Japan. I think the womenomics initiatives outlined in the article did not really address the root of the issue. For example, increasing availaiblity of child care is a very important step in allowing women to work after having children. However, if the culture continues to frown on women who work less than 15 hours each day, it is not enough. The question is how to go about shifting those cultural expectations. 

[Maria Cardenas]

Yes, you would think Japan would come up with solutions to have more women working. They seem to want the solution of their problems to revolve around wome; their low birth rate and their aging problem. The fact that they need more poeple working for production. Based on what we have learned about Japan it doens't make sense for both parents to be working if they are going ot be taxed. We can assume the men are the ones making more money since they work management posistions compared to the women. This is just so interesting. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

This article was written in 2019. It is astonishing to think that males are only allowed to ascend the ancient throne in Japan still. Currently, Emperor Naruhito is the new monarch following his father's abdication last year. He has a younger brother, Prince Akishino, who is next in line for the throne due to the fact that Naruhito only has a 19 year-old daughter. Although Prince Akishino has three children, his daughters are older than his son, Prince Hisahito. However, because Prince Hisahito is the next male after his father, he would be the next in line for the throne despite being only 13 years old and having sisters and a cousin older than he is and had they been born male, would be ahead of him in line. The conservatives are eager to preserve the males-only succession. So Hisahito's birth put any talks of changing the rules for succession on hold. However, people are questioning whether or not he is being properly groomed as he is attending a different school than his father and has no special mentor to prepare him for kingship. Who is to say he will even want this role? To respond to Maria's question, I do think the successuon rule has an effect on how women in Japan society are treated. It clearly shows them still not being equal or as important and not being able to carry on the role of emperor. Other countries have changed this gender rule, why is Japan still behind in this?

[Zoey McKinney]

It is always interesting to discuss gender roles with students, especially young students, to see how they view them in our society. I have taught about gender roles in other contexts (e.g. in native cultures in California in 4th grade, in colonial times in 5th grade), and students are often surprised and unhappy to learn that roles were so restrictive. Japan's situation of being progressive on paper (gender equality explicitly mentioned in the constitution) but very patriarchal in practice is an interesting case to study with students. It shows that coming up with policies and enacting laws does not automatically solve problems. Different countries have vastly different cultures, which will respond in different ways. While the US has not achieved perfect gender equality and the Equal Rights Amendment has never been passed, in practice women do have more choices and morr opportunities here than they might in Japan. This seems paradoxical, and I think it would be valuable for older students to explore this. 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Prof. Strausz had a wonderful lecture shedding light on the differences in Japan's political system compared to say, the United States'. It is beneficial for our students to realize that the way the United States is run politically is not the only way or the "right" way. This can open a larger discussion on how they feel the political system would be the best for our country. Prof. Strausz informs us that Japan has a parliamentary system, not presidential like ours. The people don't get a direct say in who is their Prime Minister. They vote for their member of parliament and then whichever party has the majority, essentially chooses the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister comes out of the Lower House. It would be interesting to dive in and see which politcial system the students feel better represents the voices of the people and look at some of the historic races throughout history from both countries. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I can definitely use the article  “Womenomics in Japan: In Brief" in my English class. Students can participate in 3 reads, they will read the article on their own and then with the class and finally in groups. As students read they can annotate the central idea and the supporting details. Students will be put into groups to discuss one key disparity mentioned in the article. As students are discussing they will identify a cause and effect. One group will discuss “low participation rate of women in the workforce” another group will discuss “A sizable pay gap between men and women” and the last group will discuss “Poor representation of women in high-level positions”. 

 

[Serece Tascione]

Many ideas and events shocked me in these videos. The first one was the wood block print, “Fancy Dress Ball.” The name itself strikes me because this was during a time that Japanese elites were ‘adopting’ western culture, and if they considered this western wear ‘fancy’ I wonder what they called their fancy balls. Was their ball attire not fancy before? Small question, yes, but it is mixed in a bowl of several questions that arise from this scene. As mentioned in the video, Western wear including hairstyles, instruments and dancing were emphasized at this ball. I wonder if then, what food or beverages were served; was there a Western influence portrayed in the menu? What food/recipes were there that were not part of their culture? As well, since there was a string orchestra and Western ‘keyboards’, what did this scene sound like? Was Western music played? I would assume so being that different instruments may not make the same sounds other cultures are used to. Which means these musicians would have had to learn these instruments and the songs prior to the ball. We all know the time that needs; it shows a true dedication to the Iwakura Mission. Finally, the dancing. Were Western dances introduced as well. Though ballroom dancing was practiced in cultures around the world for centuries, I wonder what, by the show of the wive’s hand on the husband’s shoulder, the history of ballroom dancing was in Japan. Along with the fact that dancing with your wife was ‘unheard of.’ Who did you dance with if not your wife? This makes me feel that perhaps ballroom dancing was not practiced in Japan prior to the Westernization.

[Tara Corral]

Hi Susie, 

I was reading your comment and I was really intrigued about your comment on the current trends of U.S. Women during Covid-19. I hadn't thought of the affect that virtual teaching has taken on parents and their children but you are so right. Now this is not based on any hard data, but from what I witnessed more women are at home helping the children complete their work. I work with grades TK-6th and more often it is the Mom or Grandma who is home helping the student. And what is also interesting, the amount of students who are at their parents workplace usually tend to be at the fathers workplace.   I think its a good reminder to students to think about how equal is our economy and our mindset. Are we as equal as we imagine ourselves to be or do we have these thoughts so stuck that it becomes second nature. Ladies taking care of the house work without a seconds thought.  

[Ester Yang]

This similar incident is occuring in Korea as well. The discrimination against women in Asian countries are still occuring and it's interesting to see that the countries are not changing. Women are obligated to stay home to take care of their children while the men go out to work. Married women will quit their jobs to voluntarily become housewives when they have kids. Perhaps this is why birthrates are going down and more women are staying single. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Japan's work customs make it difficult for women to succeed in any career and have a family as well. Women usually quit their jobs in their early thirties once they begin to have children, according to government statistics. Japanese  work customs encourage employees to work from morning to midnight. This schedule can prevent anybody from having both a family and a career. Women are especially affected by this since men are seen as the breadwinners and not as stay-at-home fathers. It leaves no choice for women but to pick to either  have a family or to have a career. Of course when face with this challenge most women will pick their career . These ridiculous working hours are also causing labor shortages.. Employees are also not protected by the law, companies are able to discriminate. Now Japan must begin to make changes  to fix their aging population. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

It is very interesting but also very disappointing how there's evidence proving how damaging a society can be. Japan is suffuring from job shortages, low fertility rates and sexism and still sufficient steps towards change are not being made. Companies are still able to discriminate and are not forced to change their employee requirements. Women are still being discriminated like the article said, “Only some 50 of Teijin’s approximately 2,000 managers are women”. This this is not enough, real change has to come. I agree that more women are staying single becuase they much rather have a career than be a housewife.

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