Women in Japanese Society: Their Changing Roles

Abstract

The place of Women in Japanese society provides an interesting blend of illusion and myth. There are two distinct of Japanese societies - public and private. The popular western image of a Japanese woman is real, it is however, only an image. In their private family role, women quite often dominate the male members of the house hold. Judged by western standards, the woman of Japan are un-usually dedicated to their families. The current position of woman in Japanese society can be attributed to the vestiges of two old philosophies - Confucianism and samurai based feudalism. These influences are still strong, however inspite of these influences the public role of women has changed markedly since the beginning of World War-II.