The position of women in the Japanese workforce has been weak for decades because of discrimination and oppression from legislature, policies, and societal expectations. In the late 1980s, sexual...Show moreThe position of women in the Japanese workforce has been weak for decades because of discrimination and oppression from legislature, policies, and societal expectations. In the late 1980s, sexual harassment was mentioned in the Japanese legislature for the first time, marking a turning point in the treatment of sexual harassment cases. However, because of Japan’s roots in Confucianism and patriarchal society, Japanese people have a hard time letting go of traditional gender roles and overly sexual behaviour toward women. Simultaneously, Western countries such as the United States of America and Canada are popular destinations for the immigration of Japanese citizens, and women overtake the number of men in the total number of Japanese immigrants worldwide. Because of the negatives of gender inequality in Japanese workplaces and the positive outlook on Western countries, this thesis raises the question of how the unequal and oppressive treatment of women in the Japanese workforce affects the economic migration of Japanese women. Do women emigrate from Japan to countries with better gender equality to work in an environment where they are treated rather equally to men?Show less
South Korean women face structural challenges when participating in the labour force. As of today, female labour participation is at its highest point in recorded history, yet gender inequality...Show moreSouth Korean women face structural challenges when participating in the labour force. As of today, female labour participation is at its highest point in recorded history, yet gender inequality causes persistent disadvantages for women regarding opportunities and decision-making power. Building on existing work, this study aims to determine the structural challenges that contribute to an unequal position in the work environment for South Korean women. It includes a research survey among 55 South Korean working women who share their experiences and offers a new perspective to the current scholarly work written on the topic of gender (in)equality in the South Korean work environment.Show less
According to many scholars, the Chinese media increasingly subjugates women and depicts them in relation to marriage, and by extension home and motherhood. Women who do not adhere to these ideals,...Show moreAccording to many scholars, the Chinese media increasingly subjugates women and depicts them in relation to marriage, and by extension home and motherhood. Women who do not adhere to these ideals, are stigmatized by the media. At the same time, the media bestows men with important social roles and expectations. In my research, I investigated whether single men and single women are indeed depicted according to different standards.Show less
In December 2012, Abe Shinzo was again elected as Prime Minister of Japan and is now in office for almost six years. In those six years, he promised economic growth for Japan, through his policy...Show moreIn December 2012, Abe Shinzo was again elected as Prime Minister of Japan and is now in office for almost six years. In those six years, he promised economic growth for Japan, through his policy Abenomics including womenomics. Likewise, with the Japan-Korea 2015 Agreement, he showed his desire to settle the “comfort women” issue with South Korea. However, both plans have not been accomplished, with the Japanese economy still stagnating, and the “comfort women” still being an issue after the 2015 agreement failed. With womenomics, the goal was to increase the number of working women and increase the number of women in leadership positions. However, with Abe being a supporter of the patriarchal system, it is hard to reach this goal. After analysing the policy womenomics and Abe’s promotion regarding the issue, it can be seen that through Abe’s choice of words, he creates a power discourse, which deepens the gender inequality in society. Abe’s power discourse on womenomics portraits women as helpless beings who need a man’s help to become successful, deepening gender inequality. Similarly, Abe’s revisionist stance caused the agreement to fail, and the “comfort women” to remain an issue. An analysis of Abe’s statement regarding the “comfort women” issue shows his refusal in seeing the “comfort women” as sex slaves, even depicting them as workers for the Japanese Imperial Army during the war. Due to Abe diminishing the victims’ stories and feelings, and portraying them as workers, he aggravates the gender inequality in society. So, Abe’s power discourse of womenomics and the “comfort women issue” makes gender inequality more deep-rooted in society.Show less
Over the past decade, the Netherlands has performed evidently worse in terms of gender inequality in its labour market compared to other European countries. The psychological model of implicit bias...Show moreOver the past decade, the Netherlands has performed evidently worse in terms of gender inequality in its labour market compared to other European countries. The psychological model of implicit bias, gaining popularity within the academic world as well as public discourses, is thought to account for such structural and persistent gender inequality. According to the implicit bias model, people harbour mental associations with the words ‘female’ and ‘male’, eliciting subtle forms of discrimination, with gender inequality as a consequence. It is my contention that the model of implicit bias is inadequate in order to account for structural and persistent gender inequality in the Dutch labour market. I will argue that the implicit bias model is inherently based on a dualistic ontoepistemological framework that is problematic from a feminist philosophical perspective. Grounding my arguments in the theories of the feminist philosophers Simone de Beauvoir, Donna Haraway, Judith Butler, and Linda Martín Alcoff, I will show that theories of implicit bias overlook that (1) gender knowledge cannot be viewed independently from its producer and that (2) there is no reality of gender outside of the discursive. Based on the onto-epistemological findings on gender production, established throughout my thesis, I will introduce a non-dualistic framework from which gender inequality in the Dutch labour market can and should be studied, which I refer to as gender transactionalism. In this transactionalist model, gender inequality in the Dutch labour market is understood as the continuous transaction between unequal gender knowledges and the performativity of these genders as visible within our everyday lives. Implications of the findings and recommendations for future research will be discussed.Show less
The prevalent phenomena of "leftover women" has gained increasing attention from the media and different scholars in Chinese society. The term "leftover women" refers to urban and professional...Show moreThe prevalent phenomena of "leftover women" has gained increasing attention from the media and different scholars in Chinese society. The term "leftover women" refers to urban and professional women who remain unmarried by the time they are in their late twenties or early thirties. This phenomena frequently addresses questions pertaining to why such working women are not married, whether they are willing to marry and their attitudes towards marriage. The Chinese media has also produced many dramatic television series reflecting the situation and marital prospects of leftover women. Within the media, these women are stigmatised as money-worshipers, snobbish or picky. However, it has become evident that leftover women present themselves online as economically and spiritually independent entities who prefer compatibility over financial security in their romantic relationships. Upon comparing depictions of such women in the media to their self-representations, this paper makes a twofold argument: on one hand, media representations controlled by the dominant male discourse are criticising women for being money-oriented and picky so they become losers in the marriage market. On the other hand, women have realised their right to freely choose their own partners and decide when to get married. Hence, the discourse of leftover women actually represents a conflict between traditional patriarchy and potential burgeoning of a women's rights movement in the PRC.Show less
In this thesis, I have taken a look at military conscription in South-Korea and how the system intersects with and is influenced by gender and citizenship. To do so, I have used the Korean military...Show moreIn this thesis, I have taken a look at military conscription in South-Korea and how the system intersects with and is influenced by gender and citizenship. To do so, I have used the Korean military variety show 'Real men' as a case study, analyzing this show and the way in which it portrays both masculinity and gender roles. I argue that military conscription in Korea is a system deeply shaped by concepts of hyper masculinity and socially constructed gender in relation to citizenship. At the same time, conscription amplifies these concepts and processes of gender creation, and thus works as an intermediary and magnifier of hyper masculinity and gendered citizenship within Korean society.Show less
In the aftermath of a disaster, women’s suffering is often compounded in the face of increased vulnerabilities to physical and mental illness, unsafe temporary living conditions, and the many...Show moreIn the aftermath of a disaster, women’s suffering is often compounded in the face of increased vulnerabilities to physical and mental illness, unsafe temporary living conditions, and the many instances in which women’s opinions, requests, and capabilities are ignored. This thesis discusses gender inequality within post-disaster management in Japan, with a focus on the 2011 Triple Disaster which consisted of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown within the Tohoku region. The framework of gender within public health and post-disaster management is used to examine women’s experiences in the response and recovery phases of the Triple Disaster as seen through film and academic literature. This paper argues that the role of women in the aftermath of the disaster reflected and reinforced gender inequality in Japanese society. The inadequate living conditions for women in emergency shelters, the silencing of women’s voices after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, and the distinct lack of female participation in disaster management all give credence to the notion that the gender dimension of disasters was and continues to be significantly overlooked. It is evident that the gender issues present in the aftermath of the 2011 disaster are part of larger societal structures not only in Japan but also in the wider field of public health.Show less
The notion of marriage has always been considered an inevitable and indispensable life event. It is the social institution that either formalizes legally or in a religious ceremony the commitments,...Show moreThe notion of marriage has always been considered an inevitable and indispensable life event. It is the social institution that either formalizes legally or in a religious ceremony the commitments, whish or decision of a couple to lead a married life together and probably the promise to establish a family on their own. An old Chinese saying: ‘When boys and girls reach adulthood they should get married’, is a good way to illustrate the average thinking of Chinese society. The importance of marriage has its roots in the Confucian ideology and Chinese are obsessed with it. This refers particularly to the values that are attached to the continuation of the family line and filial piety. Marriage has always been promoted as the establishment of a family as the basic building block of Chinese society. There is very little space for an alternative lifestyle other than a married life; it is the norm in China. Marriage can then be considered as an ultimatum, and disapproves of those who choose to stay single. If you do not marry, you are basically not taken very seriously and considered immature. Outside of marriage are no alternatives easily recognized. Your behavior is labeled as if you are socially irresponsible.So views the Chinese government that severe sex ratio imbalance as a threat to social stability and harmony. In 2007 China’s State council started with a population policy improving the quality of the newborn population. In addition, The ACWF has determined a term; shengnü (剩女 / Leftover women), and was later officially recognized as a term by the Ministry of Education. Since then the government and state media started a campaign to discourage women to stay single or delaying their age of marriage. Women over 27 and single were branded as Leftover women.Show less
