Contemporary Portraits of Japanese Women

(Hardback)

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Description

As Japan shifted from an agricultural country before 1950 to an industrialized nation in less time than any other developed country, women felt the pressure of the shift. Husbands worked longer hours, leaving all the household chores and child rearing to their wives while fulfilling their responsibilites as corporate soldiers. The economy was fueled by a diligent, well-educated, low-paid workforce, but gender role division became even more rigid. Household incomes rose and improvement in areas such as diets, transportation, and leisure were made; modern appliances also made it possible for mothers to have part-time jobs. But pollution also rose, as did prices, and crowded living conditions began to impinge on family life. Tanaka, who has spent many years looking back at her country from an American perspective, examines marriage, motherhood, employment, independence, women's movements, and old age for women in Japan over the last 50 years.

Reviews

.,."this book provides some much needed context for understanding some of the issues addressed in contemporary Japanese women's literature and might also serve as a readable introduction to the issues and literatures of Japanese women."-International Examiner's Pacific Reader
...this book provides some much needed context for understanding some of the issues addressed in contemporary Japanese women's literature and might also serve as a readable introduction to the issues and literatures of Japanese women.-International Examiner's Pacific Reader
The book provides a good overview of the status of women in contemporary Japanese society and addresses a wide range of topics, including marriage and divorce, motherhood and employment, youth subculture and delinquency, women in old age, and women in politics....The result is an admirable introductory reading on women in Japan that succeeds in striking the delicate balance between depth and breadth.-Signs
..."this book provides some much needed context for understanding some of the issues addressed in contemporary Japanese women's literature and might also serve as a readable introduction to the issues and literatures of Japanese women."-International Examiner's Pacific Reader
"The book provides a good overview of the status of women in contemporary Japanese society and addresses a wide range of topics, including marriage and divorce, motherhood and employment, youth subculture and delinquency, women in old age, and women in politics....The result is an admirable introductory reading on women in Japan that succeeds in striking the delicate balance between depth and breadth."-Signs

Author Bio

YUKIKO TANAKA is a professional writer and translator. She has published This Kind of Woman: Ten Stories by Japanese Woman Writers, 1960-1976 (1982), Live and To Write: Selections by Japanese Woman Writers, 1913-1938 (1987) and Unmapped Territories: New Women's Fiction from Japan (1991).