The original idea between gender roles in the Japanese culture in my opinion is similar to

the ideas that were around the world. Women were homemakers and raised the children while

the men went out and made the money to sustain them and their lifestyles. Much like the rest of

the world the idea of gender roles has adapted and changed over time as well. However, during

ancient times, marriage was done a bit differently. “In ancient Japan, marriages in which the

husband and wife would stay in their respective family homes during the day and the husband

would visit the wife’s home at night were the norm” (Nippon.com) This according the website

allowed the village as a whole to care for the women and children collectively, and because most

of the labor relied on children it wasn’t a problem of not knowing the child’s father. It also was

not uncommon for both men and women to have multiple partners.

This of course would change over time, during the eight century is where Japan sees a

switch in the hierarchy system, which at the time was actually a matriarchy. We see this switch

to the patriarchal system in which men led households around this time. “By the Meiji era

(1868–1912), the patriarchal system had become completely entrenched in society, and the

architects of Japan’s modern government carried over many aspects into the modern legal

system.” (Nippon.com). The idea of a male led family was a tradition that was adopted from

China. “Japan was a fairly equitable matriarchal society until Confucian ideas immigrated from

China. These ideas defined Japanese society up until the end of World War II. The integration of

Confucian hierarchical structures where men were dominate shifted gender roles into a

patriarchal system.” (Japanpowered.com).

 During the Feudal era women where expected to lead their households while the men

where expected to serve their lord. With this we see that women in this time had to lead the

family, they would care for the children, keep home, and they managed the family budget.

Women were also able to inherit and own property during this time. A major shift in the way

gender roles came with World War II. “The war also sharply divided gender roles, much to the

detriment of women.  Women’s patriotic duty was to have children. They were encouraged by

propaganda to be married to the nation.” (Japanpowered.com). Many women worked in factories

and or if they were poor, they were drafted to sexually service military men. These were known

as “Comfort women” which is the nicer term for what men called these women at this time.

However, women who stayed at home were to abstain from anything sexual.

After the war another shift in gender roles would take place. Now it was considered

forbidden to discriminate based on gender in the Japanese constitution. American ideas would

then begin to influence the way Japanese men and women would view each other. Ideas of

gender roles would then take on a mix of American and traditional Japanese ideals. Honorifics

are used as a way of showing respect for those that are older and are an important part of the

Japanese language. During the 90’s we see another shift where women where no longer able to

remain at home. The economic growth had slowed down, and women had to look outside the

home to help makes ends meet. “Couples had to adjust to new economic pressures, and by 1997

the number of households in which both partners worked outstripped the number of households

in which the wife stayed at home. (Nippon.com) Of course the pay was not on equal grounds so

men remained the primary bread winners in the households.

 Another huge difference that came with the changing time was the fact that more and

more couples wanted to live apart from their relatives. In Japanese culture caring for the elderly

and living with family members was very commonplace. That is steadily declining in the more

recent years. Women are expected to not only raise and take care of the home, but they are also

expected to care for their elderly relatives. More couples are looking at breaking such traditions

of living with their relatives. There are still things within the gender roles that are still present in

Japan’s society today.

Men should still work and be the bread winners, woman are still seen as being more

suited for domestic work, and the idea of having a full-time housewife is still the ideal goal.

There is also the separation of genders, and how children should be care for. “These persistent

gender ideas have roots in feudal Japan. The roles also work within the vertical social structure

of senior-junior relations. Generally, traits associated with individualism like assertiveness,

independence, and self-reliance are poorly regarded by the Japanese compared to conformity,

being affectionate, and having leadership abilities.” (Japanpowered.com). Gender norms and

roles in the Japanese society are still slowly changing with the times, even in today’s day and

age.
 Sources

Kincaid, C., & Ligh, C. (2019, October 23). A Look at Gender Expectations in Japanese Society.
Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/a-look-
at-gender-expectations-in-japanese-society

Kaori, O., & Hisayo, U. (2020, May 30). Dividing the Sexes: The Modern Evolution of Japanese
Gender Roles in Marriage. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from
https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c05604/