A Study of Salaryman Masculinity and Female Roles in Modern Japan

This essay explores the concept of "salaryman masculinity" in Japan, focusing on the image of men in relation to women within Japanese society. It highlights the importance of salaried workers, particularly white-collar employees, and their loyalty to their organizations. The essay discusses the historical context of gender roles in Japan, influenced by Confucian ideals, and the shifts that occurred after World War II, granting women legal rights and greater societal roles. It contrasts the traditional expectations of men as strong, dominant figures with the evolving roles of women, who are increasingly seeking careers and challenging gender-defined tasks. The essay also touches upon the impact of feminism on Japanese society, leading to a greater division of work and family obligations, and the emergence of dual-income households. Despite progress towards equality, traditional expectations and gender dynamics persist in both the workplace and family settings.

Running head: SALARYMAN MASCULINITY
SALARYMAN MASCULINITY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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The aim of this assignment is to discuss the image of the men in the society of japan
in terms of women. Salaryman masculinity in japan refers to the salaried worker and more
precisely the white collar employees in Japan who show an overriding loyalty to the
organizations where they work. In the collectivist society like that of Japan where the people
do not only work for themselves and their immediate families but for the welfare of the whole
society. The image of salaryman masculinity in Japan is highly important (Gill, 2015). It is
important for these men to work for long time and additional over time. These men are
encouraged to participate in the leisure activities after the work hours like drinking, visiting
bars and singing karaoke with their colleagues. They are expected to value their works over
everything. They are such loyalty to their companies that after completing the graduation,
they enter a company and work there for the end of their careers (Choi, 2016).
In the society of japan, the physical image man and woman are highly dependent on
their gender roles. Unlike China and Korea, Japan also believes in the confusion ideals which
focuses on the family. According to this particular view, the men were the head of the
households and expected to support their family. The women were expected to marry, have
children and manage the household. The marriages were arranged by the families and wives
are returned their families if they failed to bear heirs.
After the Second World War, this Confucian ideology of the gender role shifted.
Beforehand the women did not existed legally but after WWII, the constitution of Japan was
changed and women got their legal rights. They gained legal support for owning property,
inheriting the family estates, parental rights and right to vote. In this shift in the female
gender role, the women started to gain the equal position in the society of Japan. First of this
is their need for career and choosing where they want to work. This is highly contrasting
image to those of men especially salaryman image.

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The physical image of men and women are contrasting to each other. The men seems
to the strong and tough and do not do the women things like cooking or helping in the
household. They are expected to be competitive in their works and outlook and
knowledgeable to earn respect in the society. The men in the traditional as well as modern
Japanese society are expected to be the most dominating factors in the families and need to
rule the wives and children. The physical image of stern masculine men also possess the
highest designation of the organization. The concept of salaryman is more appealing where
these white collar workers work in a large bureaucracy for the business firm and the
government offices. In the modern Japanizes society, these salaryman image is so breath
taking that there can also die of over work (Matthes, Prieler & Adam, 2016). This image of
dead salaryman in the streets of Japan is quite normal. On the contrary, the women seems to
be weaker and strictly expected to abide by the traditional look as well as chastity before
marriage. It is beyond the idea of a modern society that the men are expected to dislike
sweets as it is associated with the women.
As mentioned before, the contrast of the men and women in the Japanese is high. The
women are not expected to support their families financially. It is only their choice of
working outside household but whatever they do outside, they are mandated to complete their
household chores without any fail (Alexander, 2019). On the contrary, the men especially the
salaryman needs to work for more than othe others often these types of men remain so busy
in their work schedules and live long commitments to the organizations, they do it get the
scope for marriage and raise their families (Dalton, 2015). These type of men are mainly the
high born persons hence they do not have the financial pressure to support their families but it
is all about the reputation and loyalty that they are not able to leave their white collar jobs.
However, the men of other professions like self-employed persons, doctors, lawyers,

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engineers, musicians, politicians, accountants and other corporate executives are excluded
from this segment bear the expectation to support families financially.
However, after the end of World War, the traditional outlook and the stigma
associated with the women has been reduced. The modern clothes are being preferred in the
society especially for the women. They have gained the opportunity to choose their husbands
and the rights for divorce. These women are given liberty to work in the corporate offices and
can late in marriage according to their choices (Piotrowski, Kalleberg & Rindfuss, 2015).
Most of these women are craving for the gender defined tasks despite their progress for
equality. Filling this type of roles like shopping and taking dinner menu request from their
husbands can be seen as the matter of intimacy as well as validation (Traphagan, 2017). On
the other hand the society, expects men to be less caring of women as it is a women’s actions.
They will make all the decisions rather than paying heed to their wives and the fathers need
to be more dominating in the family whom other members of the families even the elder
mothers also observe.
In the workplaces comparison, the men are more powerful and dominating the
women employees (Anderson, 2016). Despite the fact the salary structure is similar for both
these genders but most of the design making process and negotiation roles like meetings with
important clients and implementing the policies in the workplaces (Jones, 2015). However
after the introduction of the feminism in the Japanese modern society, the increase of
dividing work and family obligations are seen (Murakami & Borgonovi, 2018). The married
women have started holding the part time and full time jobs as their husbands have started to
support the idea of dual income household.

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References:
Alexander, R. (2019). Gender, Disaster and Stories from Popoki: Learning from Women
Survivors in Northeast Japan. Journal of International Cooperation Studies, 26(2).
Anderson, M. S. (2016). Gender and Nation in Meiji Japan: Modernity, Loss, and the Doing
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Choi, H. J. (2016). The formation of Korean journalists’ occupational identity as a
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Dalton, E. (2015). Women and politics in contemporary Japan. Routledge.
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