Departments
DANSON JOHI
男尊女卑
"predominance of men over women"
Asia is often perceived as a “man’s world”—and not entirely without justification. The phrase danson-johi is derived from a Chinese expression which literally means “honor men and belittle women.”
Modern Japan, however, has generally been free of the more virulent forms of sexism that still exist in some other parts of Asia. Japanese culture has historically held women in higher esteem than other Asian countries. The main deity of Japanese mythology—Amaterasu-ō-mikami (天照大御神)—is female. Ancient Japan was largely matriarchal. The earliest written account of Japan, the Wei Chronicle, mentions a local female ruler.
Samurai Women
During the feudal era, women of the samurai (侍) class were respected as members of Japan’s warrior caste. Although women did not ordinarily accompany men into combat, they were often trained in the arts of the samurai. Those who excelled at warfare sometimes made appearances on the battlefield.
Tomoe Gozen, the wife of a warlord of the Minamoto clan, was one such example. Her bravery in battle has been immortalized in paintings, poems, and folklore. The Heike Monogatari (平家物語), or “Tale of Heike” describes Tomoe Gozen as “an exceptionally skilled archer and swords-woman worth a thousand warriors, ready to confront a demon or a god, on horseback or on foot.”
Sexism and Equality in Japan
In present-day China, South Korea, and India, the traditional preference for male heirs has led to sex selective abortions and in some cases, even in infanticide. This is not the case in Japan. In fact, polls indicate that a majority of Japanese couples have a slight preference for baby girls over baby boys.
Nevertheless, Japanese culture has been influenced the philosophy of Confucianism, which advocates specific roles for each member of a society or family. As a result, there is still a general expectation that women, once married, will focus on household matters and childrearing. However, society’s attitudes are gradually changing in this regard.
In Japan, the equality of women is matter of law. The Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution explicitly forbids “discrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.” Article 24 decrees that all laws related to marriage and family are to be based on the premise of the “individual dignity and the essential equality of the sexes.”
Articles 14 and 24 have been bolstered by a handful of more recent laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Law of 1986 forbids the discrimination of women in employments. Gender equality and women’s rights are also promoted by the Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society (1999) and the Law for the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims (2001).