Japanese Women and the Assault Towards Equality.
Women have played a major role in the development and history of the nation of Japan. Their views and actions in Japanese society represent a strong stance of what they believe to be true and right, though sometimes being hesitantly countered by their male counterparts. Through the customary beliefs in Japanese family life, and religion, they have played the part of somewhat of the "silent leader," presenting a strong force behind Japanese routine and daily life. Their growing roles in the economy have also represented their budding influence throughout today's expanding society. While the total view of equality is still far from being achieved, it is clear that Japanese women have worked to a strong degree to begin this discriminatory problem.
From the very early histories of Japan and the people of it, women were faced with sexual discriminatory problems. With the introduction of the Chinese writing system, Kanji, for example, women were not allowed to learn this particular form of communication. Instead, however, they developed a writing system of their own, which is still used today.
As history can show us, these hardships were taken on by the Japanese women with the will to have their own identity: their own say if you will, spoken out for. In the Japanese family structure, Ie, there were many examples of where this was adequately shown. Representing a household of kin related as well as non-kin related relationships, women had somewhat of an important role. As the head of the house (the eldest male, though in some occasions, an elder woman) took to business and economic situations outside of the household, the mother took charge of internal relations concerning domestic problems. An Ie also provided women with more of an equal stance towards everyday living. Paving the way for future females of the household to take on characteristics in this regard of the "silent leader," generations to come could build upon this social structure that society has given to them.
