Stone Houses and Iron Bridges: Tradition and the Place of Women in Contemporary Japan

Exotic yet competitive, Japan remains one of the most fascinating themes of current research. This book focusses on Japanese women, comparing their role and status in the prewar and postwar periods. Though the reforms of the Allied occupation guaranteed to Japanese women rights that even Western women might envy, these reforms have yet to be fully enforced. This book explains why, in the face of a rapidly improved economy and a highly advanced technology, the position of women has changed so slowly. One critical factor, often ignored in studies on Japan, is the impact of a deeply rooted religio-cultural tradition. This book examines the Japanese tradition to determine its effect on the past and present position of Japanese women, considering in particular the significance of the role of good wife-wise mother in the contemporary context.