From: masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda)
Subject: Re: SEXISM IN JAPANESE WORKPLACE!!!!
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 19:09:52 GMT


In article <1992Dec22.050751.8476@leland.Stanford.EDU> harumi@leland.Stanford.EDU (harumi ito) writes:

>Being a wife and a mother involve heavier responsiblities
>and deeper committment in Japan than it does in the U.S.  

   I don't mean to be nit-picky, but "responsibility" and "commitment" are 
rather associated with an inner feeling. We may not be able to conclude 
easily that American wives and mothers are less responsible and less 
committed than the Japanese counterpart.

>Maybe, many women choose more flexible career paths because
>of these family obligations, etc.  But, it does not 
>necessarily means that "they don't want to be equal with men
>at the workplace."

   No, not at all. However, we should also consider the possibility that
there are women who are satisfied with the "flexible career paths" and
who are proudly responsible for the family obligations.

>  Suppose that Japanese daycare systems 
>got much better and that Japanese husbands in general got
>more involved in family chores.

  In order for a Japanese husband to be able to share a burden at home with
his wife, a rather drastic change in the general mentality (e.g., men have to
support the household, men have to work till the last minute, men's value
is determined according to their rank in the hierarchy, etc.) would be 
prerequisite. 

>  Would Japanese women still
>"don't want to be equal with men at the workplace"?   

  Probably, some women would.

>Furthermore, are the small minority of Japanese women who
>"want to be equal with men at the workplace" getting their
>fair chances?  Maybe not.

  If women who want to be equal with men consist a small minority
as you say, the chances are that you see a smaller number of female
executives than the male counterpart. We cannot measure the fairness by
the number.

>If an average HANAKO looks around
>and finds more able and more ambitious women having tough time
>in the workplace, she might be extremely discouraged and 
>switch to more family oriented lifestyle.

  If she is an able and ambitious (but not average) HANAKO, she might not
be discouraged.

  It should be also mentioned that there are many able and ambitious TARO
having a tough time as well.

>  Given opportunities
>and right envioronments, this HANAKO might have wanted to be 
>equal with men at the workplace.  

   There should be an opportunity and environment that allow an average
HANAKO to be comparable to an average TARO, but we should not create
an illusion that an average HANAKO can be equal to an able and ambitious
TARO. 

>If we look around, there are not so many Japanese women climbing
>corporate ladders or whatever smoothly.

  If you think that being a man is an almighty certificate for climbing
up SMOOTHLY, that's a counter-sexism. (Ojisan datte ganbatte irunda!)

>  But, it seems a little
>to early to conclude that they just don't want it.  

  Agreed. Probably, the original question that was made by Doi-san was not
meant to say that Japanese women don't want to be equal.

>I mean no flame, really.

  Men are smart enough to tell the difference between a decent opinion
and a flame ... well, almost... 

>  But, just wanted to put my two cents
>worth.    

  In s.c.j., where only few female netters seem to contribute (oops, did
I scare them away?), your opinion is much more precious than just two
cents.
  I'd appreciate your feedback to my opinion.

--Michiaki
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan