The Uncertain Status of Women in Japan

Once upon a time in Japan, women may have been the stronger sex. The eighth-century Kojiki presents Japan's sun goddess and chief deity, Amaterasu, the heroine of many a culturally significant myth contained therein. Not too long before those myths were set in text, the historical character Himiko likewise ruled over a significant portion of the Yamato islands; living in a cave high in the mountains, she would show her face to no outside person, but would recount visions to her brother, who would present her knowledge and commands to the worshipful people. Japan's ancient matriarchal society must have had much to offer humble woman, or so we can only wishfully conjecture.

In any case, it was not to last. The position of the modern Japanese woman is a half-defined, unsure one, and the journey of the Japanese woman from student to married and working woman is riddled with lingering bias toward the fairer sex. While Japanese women demonstrate a more pronounced desire for marriage, children, and especially the homemaker's life than their American counterparts, economic machinations often work to both tie them to one or more jobs, and to experience a double standard regardless of whether they choose to work or not.