The 'kizuna' discourse in Japan is about bonding as people. After the 3.11 disaster this bonding became more important. The women in the disaster areas were faced with the pressure this discourse...Show moreThe 'kizuna' discourse in Japan is about bonding as people. After the 3.11 disaster this bonding became more important. The women in the disaster areas were faced with the pressure this discourse placed on the gender role women have. With all the stress they themselves already went through, it was still their responsibility to care for everyone. There was hardly any particular attention for the needs of women in disaster areas. This thesis discusses first the theory on disaster and how such an event affects women in particular. Next a history of women and the role they take in society is discussed, followed by the situation of women after the disaster and during recovery.Show less
These days, all industrialized countries in the world have some kind of law implemented targeting women's rights on the job market. Yet the wage gap as well as 4other hurdles remain despite these...Show moreThese days, all industrialized countries in the world have some kind of law implemented targeting women's rights on the job market. Yet the wage gap as well as 4other hurdles remain despite these laws. The question is therefore what factors play a role in the fact that Japanese women who are among the best educated in the world, who not only have the Labor Standard Law, but an Equal Employment Opportunity Law as well, must contend with a substantial wage gap and such high unemployment rates? This thesis will consist of two parts aside from the introductory and the closing chapters. The first part will be chapter two, containing a literature review in which the research of several western scholars as well as native Japanese scholars concerning their assessment of the EEOL in Japan will be discussed and evaluated. In addition this part will also discuss the different roles companies and government play with regard to keeping the oppression of women in the labor market as it is, or furthering equal opportunity. In the second part of this thesis, chapter 3, the difficulties that working women, annd specifically working mothers, face in their day to day life will be examined on the basis of interviews conducted by scholars with these working women and mothers.Show less
This thesis examines how Japan's declining birth rate and women's work-life balance are related, and how the government has responded to this in terms of policies.
