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Gender is an endless topic in Japan if you look at pop culture, anime, manga, and various other media. I'm going to try and narrow it down a bit by discussing people that I interact with every day.
These are my host siblings, whom I've mentioned before. Shun-kun is 10 years old and Ami-chan is eight, and already they're very much falling into their resepective roles and behaviors as a boy and a girl.
A reading that we did for class said:
"Japanese men are accustomed to having women wait on them. This is not the only mode of male/female interaction in Japan, but Japanese men feel that there is nothing unusual about it."
--Geisha and Anthropology, Crihfield
It's been an interesting experience for me to observe this as a reality in Japan, even amongst my host family. Last weekend, for example, Mama and Ami-chan were teaching me how to make gyoza. Shun-kun watched for a little bit, but didn't participate and wasn't expected to participate. Ami-chan, on the other hand, is responsible for helping prepare almost every evening meal while Shun-kun watches TV or does homework.
I've also noticed that when Shun-kun, like every kid his age, doesn't feel like doing his homework, he'll fight with his mother about getting it done. But when Papa tells him to do something, there's almost no resistance. This is not to say that Japan is totally dominated by men (indeed Mama handles all the money in the household), but there is a unique pattern that everyone seems to follow.
Despite their respective roles, I've never seen a brother and sister so close as Shun-kun and Ami-chan. They share just about everything and living with them has been a lot of fun. It almost seems like a paradox that while gender roles in Japan are so clear-cut, they are also mixed with one another in certain circumstances.
I want to make it clear that I'm not judging any of these things as right or wrong, good or bad. They are just things I have noticed while living with this family for the last three months. Also, all the pictures of Shun and Ami were posted with permission from their parents.
1 comment:
Yeah, thanks for the last paragraph... I think your observations are interesting and match what we have been reading and watching in class regarding gender roles.
I have a Japanese niece and nephew that are extremely close siblings as well. But both are expected to know how to do all work - there is certainly no gendered division of labor in their family (even with their parents).
I think there are many ways of bringing up children these days as expectations for gender roles continue to change and evolve. Personally I would love to learn how to make gyoza...
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