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A Comparison of Roles of Women in Both Japanese and American Society

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A Comparison of Roles of Women in Both Japanese and American Society
A COMPARISON OF ROLES OF WOMEN IN BOTH JAPANESE AND AMERICAN SOCIETY

CHEYENNE BOYCE
SPELMAN COLLEGE

The contemporary world is changing very rapidly in various spheres of life. World economies are changing dramatically and globalization is quickly becoming an unavoidable phenomenon that everyone is becoming more and more aware of. Consequently, it is getting more and more important to think about what the future holds. As a student attending a woman’s college, I am aware of the roles that women have held in this country, and it is very important, especially as I begin to think about my career paths and future, to figure out where my place in the world will be in just a few years. As markets change and political and economic power shifts, the roles that women play in these various arenas may not be as easily determined as most may think. Further, aside from the threat of the unknown for women in American society, since globalization is becoming more and more important, it is imperative that I not only understand my role as a woman here in America, but also the roles of women in countries around the world. Aside from my deep interest in Japan, after researching the roles of women in Japanese society, I have found that the roles of women, although they seem to be very different, do have some similarities.

This paper will present a comparative study of the roles of women in Japanese society and American society. In order to offer a comprehensive look at the situation, a history of the roles of Women in both societies will be provided and an observation of current societal roles of women in each country will be described. Since Japan and the United States interact on each other in various ways, it will be interesting to explore what major roles of women in their respective society play and how such roles are changing. In order to offer some reasonable predictions of what societal roles of women will be like in the future, this paper will also



Cited: Storm, Hiroko. “Women In Japanese Provebs.” Asian Folklore Studies 51.2 (1992): 167-182. JSTOR. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. Bishop, Beverley. “Globalization and Women’s Labour Activism in Japan.” Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies. 2 (2002): n. pag. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

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