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The lives of women in Japan have changed throughout history. While they were granted more equality after World War II, due to the 1947 Constitution, and granted the right to vote, they still lacked equality in education and the workplace. However, in the 21st century, they have been joining the workforce in increased numbers and are gaining more educational experiences and opportunities. Yet, Japanese women still face the issue of a business culture largely dominated by men. == Cultural history == Gender had been regarded to have been an important principle of stratification throughout Japanese history, but in light of recent discoveries this is being questioned.〔Amino 2005, p. 143.〕 The cultural elaboration of gender differences has varied over time and among different social classes. In the 8th century Japan had female emperors, and in the 12th century (Heian period), for example, women in Japan could inherit property in their own names and manage it by themselves: "Women could own property, be educated, and were allowed, if discrete, to take lovers" (sic)(). There is also evidence of women holding high positions in society during the Kamakura period, and records left by the Portuguese missionary Luís Fróis from the 16th century describe how Japanese women at the time could choose to marry and divorce freely, carry out abortions, and had open sexual relations.〔Amino 2005, p. 145.〕 It is now believed that due to influence of Shintoist animism, women and sexual intercourse were seen as divine in ancient Japan. It was from the late Edo period that the status of women started to lessen. During the Meiji period, industrialization and urbanization lessened the authority of fathers and husbands, but at the same time the Meiji Civil Code of 1898 (specifically the introduction of the "ie" system) denied women legal rights and subjugated them to the will of household heads,〔(The Meiji Reforms and Obstacles for Women Japan, 1878-1927 )〕 though some evidence has come to light in recent times indicating that the patriarchal system at the time was largely for show (described as a "tatemae") and that the genders were still largely equal.〔Amino 2005, p. 164.〕 After World War II, the legal position of women was redefined by the occupation authorities, who included an equal rights clause in the 1947 Constitution and the revised Civil Code of 1948. Individual rights were given precedence over obligation to family. Women as well as men were guaranteed the right to choose spouses and occupations, to inherit and own property in their own names, and to retain custody of their children. The Japanese government provided Japanese women as prostitutes to the Allied occupation troops in the form of the Recreation and Amusement Association. Japanese colonizers sent to Manchukuo and Inner Mongolia during the Second Sino-Japanese War were partially evacuated at the end of the war, with mostly Japanese men returning to Japan. The majority of Japanese left behind in China were women, and these Japanese women mostly married Chinese men and became known as "stranded war wives" (zanryu fujin).〔( Left Behind: Japan's Wartime Defeat and the Stranded Women of Manchukuo )〕 Because they had children fathered by Chinese men, the Japanese women were not allowed to bring their Chinese families back with them to Japan so most of them stayed. Japanese law only allowed children fathered by Japanese fathers to become Japanese citizens. Women were given the right to vote in 1946. This allowed them greater freedom, equality to men, and a higher status within Japanese society. Other postwar reforms opened education institutions to women and required that women receive equal pay for equal work. In 1986 the Equal Employment Opportunity Law took effect. Legally, few barriers to women's equal participation in the life of society remain. However, socially they still lack opportunities in the workforce due to the long work hours and dominance in the workplace by men. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Women in Japan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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