Gender Discrimination through Japanese Language
Gender discrimination can be observed through many factors within a specific culture. These factors include, a person's position within the family, social class, use of language, and religious beliefs. I am going to focus on language and its cultural significance within Japanese society. By studying language, you can see the gender expectations Japanese women experience everyday. However, language can be used to identify the transformation of women throughout the changing structure of words. The language used to communicate within a culture helps us to understand why Japanese culture functions the way that it does, and how language determines the roles of a man and a woman. There exists a stereotype that Japanese women are submissive and subject to the patriarchal system. However, this was not the experience that I found. I found it interesting that many women in articles and interviews I had found featuring Japanese women had defied my initial expectations of the “typical” woman. This modern woman never liked to cook for anyone other than herself, loved to travel, and hoped to move on to graduate school. This inspired me to explore the evolving structure between gender and society and how the women of 21st century Japan are transforming. I first researched more articles featuring Japanese womens’ gender roles. Through these articles, I gained a sense of what initial expectations of gender roles were in Japan.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION THROUGH JAPANESE LANGUAGE 2
I found the most helpful information under keywords like independence, and gender roles I define the word ‘Independence’ as self-sufficiency, and freedom from the social influences of others. In my opinion, independence defies weak and submissive characteristics, including a