For a westerner, when one thinks of Japan, one would think of a land that is exotic, if not alien to them. Japan would truly be considered a strange land with weird customs which would make a gaijin (foreigner) either curious or appalled.
Japan is a country whose culture is partly formed from Chinese Confucian beliefs where everybody has a place in society and must know their place. This is underscored in personal relationships among people and this is further determined by age and gender. To westerners, their initial impressions of Japan come mainly from media. They see it to be a society where gender roles appear to be fixed. It is a male-centered society where women appear to be subordinate if not subservient. In terms of occupation, men often occupy leadership positions whether it is in business or in politics. Men in the lower rungs of society are regarded as the breadwinners of their families, as underscored by their sobriquet salary men. Owing to Japans work ethic, males are often regarded to work hard, nearly to the point of killing themselves from overwork and their only release is to spend time in bars drinking, singing karaoke and mingling with other women besides their wives.
As for the women, it would appear that Japanese society is not very kind to them. In terms of occupation, they are often depicted through media as housewives or homemakers most of the time. They tend to assume this role when they get married and let the husband do the work providing for the family they have. Even if women do work, the jobs they hold tend to support the stereotype. They often appear as teachers, nurses, OLs (office ladies) in which the nature of their work is purely clerical. Then of course, there is the traditional job of being a geisha and a hostess in a bar which is a more modern-day version of the geisha where they continue to entertain men. In addition, women are often regarded as sex objects as evidenced by the proliferation of pornographic material in Japan whether in print or in TV shows and movies though the Japanese have a different view on pornography and sexuality from that of westerners. Corollary to this, in some media, women are often depicted as victims of rape or sexual abuse as well (Izawa, 1997) (Levi, 1996) (Schodt, 1983).
One media that helped reinforce this gender stereotyping is staples and import from Japan the manga (comic books). Mangas are ubiquitous in Japan and are even imported abroad (translated into the language of the country where it is imported). They come in a wide variety of genres and cater to people of all ages. In most mainstream genres of mangas, the personalities and occupations of women are depicted as mentioned earlier. Such examples would be Rumiko Takahashis works, Ranma where one character, Kasumi Tendo, is depicted as the proper Japanese woman who takes care of the household following the death of her mother. This is also the role of Mrs. Ichinose in another of Takahashis work, Maison Ikkoku, where she stays at home to keep things in order and look after her son Kentaro. This is also repeated in another Takahashi work, Lum Urutsei Yatsura in the person of Mrs. Moroboshi, Atarus mother .
S
urprisingly, there are some themes that portray women differently from their traditional roles and these are such that portray them as strong characters. One such example would be Kyosuke Fujishimas Youre Under Arrest where the two leading characters, are women in the person of Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto. If one were to follow their lives through the stories, they are anything but frail and delicate women and the stories show that they are equal to the men in performing their duties as police officers and they can kick butt when the situation calls for it. Another example is a science fiction manga by Kia Asamiya titled Silent Mbius where the lead characters are five women who are members of the Attacked Mystification Police (AMP). They are a different kind of police officers as they specialize in dealing with cases that border on the paranormal and their adversaries are anything but human. This explains why some of their members possess psychic abilities. In explaining this, women are said to be more gifted in this ability than men, hence the main roles assigned to them. Since men are often depicted to be macho and should utilize brawn or intelligence (Izawa, 1997).
Despite the mainstram stereotyping, Japanese history is replete with women who played significant roles from the goddess Izanamisun to the goddess Amaterasu. There were even women who became empresses. The only time women became subordinate was during the feudal era. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that despite the Japanese super women personas in the mangas, the authors design the story in such a way that the main female character would help raise up the weaker male character bringing their status to an equal level. Such is the case of Miyukis relationship with fellow officer Ken Nakajima in Youre Under Arrest. Another instance here is the relationship between Ranma and Akane in Ranma where Akanes role is evolving as their relationship develops to the point she will be more dependent on Ranma who is raised to be a man among men (Izawa, 1997).
In conclusion, mangas (and anime) help create that stereotyping but one caveat here for the western reader is things are not what they seem. Women are not exactly vulnerable and they do possess powers that many do not realize and even envy that is to raise children and manage the household. This is where their strength lies though it may appear they take it for granted but this is where their power is found (Levi, 1996).
Japan is a country whose culture is partly formed from Chinese Confucian beliefs where everybody has a place in society and must know their place. This is underscored in personal relationships among people and this is further determined by age and gender. To westerners, their initial impressions of Japan come mainly from media. They see it to be a society where gender roles appear to be fixed. It is a male-centered society where women appear to be subordinate if not subservient. In terms of occupation, men often occupy leadership positions whether it is in business or in politics. Men in the lower rungs of society are regarded as the breadwinners of their families, as underscored by their sobriquet salary men. Owing to Japans work ethic, males are often regarded to work hard, nearly to the point of killing themselves from overwork and their only release is to spend time in bars drinking, singing karaoke and mingling with other women besides their wives.
As for the women, it would appear that Japanese society is not very kind to them. In terms of occupation, they are often depicted through media as housewives or homemakers most of the time. They tend to assume this role when they get married and let the husband do the work providing for the family they have. Even if women do work, the jobs they hold tend to support the stereotype. They often appear as teachers, nurses, OLs (office ladies) in which the nature of their work is purely clerical. Then of course, there is the traditional job of being a geisha and a hostess in a bar which is a more modern-day version of the geisha where they continue to entertain men. In addition, women are often regarded as sex objects as evidenced by the proliferation of pornographic material in Japan whether in print or in TV shows and movies though the Japanese have a different view on pornography and sexuality from that of westerners. Corollary to this, in some media, women are often depicted as victims of rape or sexual abuse as well (Izawa, 1997) (Levi, 1996) (Schodt, 1983).
One media that helped reinforce this gender stereotyping is staples and import from Japan the manga (comic books). Mangas are ubiquitous in Japan and are even imported abroad (translated into the language of the country where it is imported). They come in a wide variety of genres and cater to people of all ages. In most mainstream genres of mangas, the personalities and occupations of women are depicted as mentioned earlier. Such examples would be Rumiko Takahashis works, Ranma where one character, Kasumi Tendo, is depicted as the proper Japanese woman who takes care of the household following the death of her mother. This is also the role of Mrs. Ichinose in another of Takahashis work, Maison Ikkoku, where she stays at home to keep things in order and look after her son Kentaro. This is also repeated in another Takahashi work, Lum Urutsei Yatsura in the person of Mrs. Moroboshi, Atarus mother .
S
urprisingly, there are some themes that portray women differently from their traditional roles and these are such that portray them as strong characters. One such example would be Kyosuke Fujishimas Youre Under Arrest where the two leading characters, are women in the person of Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto. If one were to follow their lives through the stories, they are anything but frail and delicate women and the stories show that they are equal to the men in performing their duties as police officers and they can kick butt when the situation calls for it. Another example is a science fiction manga by Kia Asamiya titled Silent Mbius where the lead characters are five women who are members of the Attacked Mystification Police (AMP). They are a different kind of police officers as they specialize in dealing with cases that border on the paranormal and their adversaries are anything but human. This explains why some of their members possess psychic abilities. In explaining this, women are said to be more gifted in this ability than men, hence the main roles assigned to them. Since men are often depicted to be macho and should utilize brawn or intelligence (Izawa, 1997).
Despite the mainstram stereotyping, Japanese history is replete with women who played significant roles from the goddess Izanamisun to the goddess Amaterasu. There were even women who became empresses. The only time women became subordinate was during the feudal era. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that despite the Japanese super women personas in the mangas, the authors design the story in such a way that the main female character would help raise up the weaker male character bringing their status to an equal level. Such is the case of Miyukis relationship with fellow officer Ken Nakajima in Youre Under Arrest. Another instance here is the relationship between Ranma and Akane in Ranma where Akanes role is evolving as their relationship develops to the point she will be more dependent on Ranma who is raised to be a man among men (Izawa, 1997).
In conclusion, mangas (and anime) help create that stereotyping but one caveat here for the western reader is things are not what they seem. Women are not exactly vulnerable and they do possess powers that many do not realize and even envy that is to raise children and manage the household. This is where their strength lies though it may appear they take it for granted but this is where their power is found (Levi, 1996).
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