History of Women Rights in Japan
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Japan was largely a patriarchal society all through its history, and women were given second-class status till the late 1860s. Thereafter, the situation for women improved as they had access to more educational opportunities. However, the laws of Japan granted the nation’s women equal status only after the First World War.
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Even in modern day Japan, women still face inequity and prejudice, and suffer from stereotypes, in spite of all the remarkable progress made in all fields.
The base for women's rights in Japan dates back to the time of Emperor Meiji, Japan’s ruler between 1867 and 1912. The Meiji period had brought in a golden era in Japan, and the country saw many reforms being introduced after being under feudal rule for centuries. Emperor Meiji knew that the solution to a modern Japan was education for all, and his regime saw the educational institutes being opened all over Japan, with proper emphasis on an adequate number of girls’ schools. However, as per Japanese sociologist Junko Kiguchi, education for women was primarily focused on training Japanese ladies to be ideal spouses and mothers.
Change was brought in after the country lost in the Second World War, and Japan’s new constitution granted equal rights to women in both family and politics. A report by the United Nations revealed that Japanese women have achieved greater life expectancy and advanced levels of education, thanks to the constitution introduced after the war.
On a less enthusiastic note, the United Nations study has also shown that in spite of such advances, only ten percent of the total number of seats in Japan’s parliament are held by women. The figure is the same when it comes to senior management positions in business.
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