Japan is a country where sex role stereotypes are accepted at
a surprisingly high rate compared with the rest of the world. The sex role system
became established during the post-war period of high economic growth, when the
change of the industrial structure forced men to go out to work as salaried workers
and women to stay home doing housework and taking care of children. Japan had
the largest number of full-time housewives in the first half of the 1970s, when
the social norm that "men should go out to work while women should keep house"
was reinforced. Since then, the number of working women has increased, and in
1996 the number of working wives exceeded that of full-time housewives even in
the households of salaried workers.
Under such circumstances, how has the perception of sex role stereotypes changed?
This article outlines the differences in perception between men and women on sex
role stereotypes, especially concerning child-rearing, by analyzing recent survey
results. |
|
| < A > |
It is true that the perception of sex role stereotypes has been
changing. However, more than half of both men and women still support the idea
that "men should go out to work while women should keep house."
|
| Figure A: |
| In 1972, more than 83% of both men and women said they "agree"
or "rather agree" of sex role stereotypes. Twenty-five years later,
in 1997, the figure drops to 52.3% for women and to 64.9% for men. Moreover, in
the 1972 survey, about the same number of men and women supported sex role stereotypes,
while surveys conducted in the 1990s indicate that the perception gap between
men and women has been widening. More women reject sex role stereotypes than men.
But if the average is taken irrespective of age and region, more than half of
both men and women still support sex role stereotypes. |
 |
|
| < B > |
Many people believe that "a mother should stay home concentrating
on child-rearing while her child is small."
|
| Figure B-1: |
| Fully 88% of married women support the idea that "it is
desirable that a mother should stay home without going out to work at least while
her child is small." Compared with the 1997 survey in Figure A, it is clear
that women themselves are also strongly bound by sex role stereotypes. |
|
| Figure B-2: |
| Fully 45% of Japan's intellectuals support the idea that "a
mother should stay home taking care of her child at least while he or she is under
3 years old." In Japan, the so-called "Three-Year-Old Child Myth"
(the belief that a baby should be raised at home by his or her mother until the
age of 3) is still emphasized in mother-child studies or books on child-rearing.
This exerts a strong influence on the perception of sex role stereotypes by men
and women. |
|
| < C > |
Among younger people, those in their 20s and 30s, an increasing
number of men and women think that "most child-rearing tasks can be done
by fathers," but more than half of married men disagree with the idea.
|
| Figure C: |
| According to a survey of men and women in their 20s and 30s across
Japan, 75% of women believe that "most child-rearing tasks can be done by
fathers," but only 49% of men agree with this idea. In both men and women,
the disapproval rate is a little higher in married people than in singles. This
perception gap between men and women presents an obstacle to sharing housework
and child-rearing tasks at home. |
|
| < D > |
Child-rearing at home is also based on sex role stereotypes.
|
| Figure D: |
| The relationship with children is also influenced by sex role
stereotypes. For example, preparing meals is done mainly by women (88%), while
earning a living is done mainly by men (72%). In the case of men, "playing
with children" (14%) is the next highest, with other activities between 2
and 4%. It is clear that in most cases men are not engaged in daily child-rearing
tasks. |
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