Behind the Kimono

By: Hiromi Oka

May 15, 2014

“Are these three women all your girlfriends?”

My friends and I, a group of three girls and one boy, were asked that question by a white-haired, wizened, old Japanese man as we had stopped to wait for other people in Koenji, one of Tokyo’s many neighborhoods.

Although we quickly rebuffed the inquiry, I couldn’t help but remember one of the reasons why I was so intrigued about coming to Japan. While this Northeast Asian country might be one of the most technologically advanced in the world, it is a study in contrast, especially when it comes to gender equality.

One of the first things that another exchange student told me upon arriving was that during rush hour, all the girls should try to ride in the women-only train cars. While an increasing number of groping cases prompted the creation of these cars, the problem of sexual harassment is not unique to Japan. However, the population density of Tokyo, where you can barely lift a finger in some rush hour train cars, has only exacerbated some of the country’s pre-existing ideas of the soft-spoken, subservient woman.

Since World War II, the status quo of women taking care of the home and children has not changed drastically. Among the younger generations, there is greater acceptance of women working after marriage and after childbirth, but even though this more liberal viewpoint exists, many women either end up quitting their jobs or find it extremely difficult to re-enter the workforce.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared in 2013 that “womenomics,” a focus on empowering female workers, was necessary to get the economy jump-started. Even though Abe advocated for this policy, he has been in a tug-of-war between his interests in improving the long stagnant Japanese economy and maintaining the socially conservative ideals of his party, the Liberal Democratic Party. His efforts have been more lip service than a call to action, especially since he has focused his time more recently on international tensions with China and South Korea. Some big name companies have initiated policies to retain female workers, but the number of women in management jobs remains low.

Meanwhile, in popular culture, maid cafes have risen to the top of many foreigners’ bucket lists. Here, young women dress up in French maid costumes and serve and chat with customers. As Japanese women try to break the glass ceiling, which might as well be concrete, they are also fetishized and sexualized in the anime and manga-centered Tokyo neighborhoods.

As the daughter of two Japanese citizens who has lived in America her entire life, I see how Japanese women must struggle against the system to maintain the expectations that society has placed upon them and still try to get ahead in their careers, and I wonder how different my life would have been had I grown up here. While Sheryl Sandberg and the “Lean In” philosophy have gained in popularity, the dialogue on women in the workforce in Japan does not seem to have the same vocal lobby. Japan is a pacifist country, and in an aging society with a declining birthrate, the number of people who can speak up and who have the courage to defy social convention is too few.

The question of empowering women is not just economic, even though there are strong arguments to be made in that regard. Japan must change the way it views women and their role in society and transform their burden to become more equitable between both genders. No matter what country, women should be able to have their cake and eat it too, whether they buy it from a bakery or make it themselves.

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