Gender Role in Japan

We talked about Japanese women in class last week. I wondered why Japanese women have such a low social position. After learning some Japanese histories and cultures, I seem to know the answer.
Gender had been an important principle of deciding social position in Japanese history. In the twelfth century, women in Japan could inherit property in their own names and manage it by themselves. However, under feudal government, the status of women declined later. Even though peasant women still continued to have freedom of movement and decision-making power, upper class women’s lives were subject to their father or husband. This kind of thought was supported by the government as part of its efforts at social control. With early industrialization, young women participated in factory work under unhealthy working conditions without gaining personal autonomy. In the Meiji period, the development of industrialization and urbanization reduce the authority of fathers and husbands, but at the same time, the Meiji Civil Code denied women legal rights.
After World War II, the legal position of women was redefined. Individual rights were given precedence over obligation to family. Women as well as men were given the right to choose spouses and occupations, to inherit and own property in their own names.
Although Japanese society has changed a lot, the histories and cultures are still influencing Japanese people in their deep heart.