Kyariaūman

The term refers to the type of Japanese woman, married or not, that pursues a career to make a living and for personal advancement rather than being a housewife without occupation outside the home.

[1] In the early history of Japan, the status of women were higher as they were thought to have the special ability to communicate with spiritual or divine beings known as kami.

Under the Confucian ethic of "three obediences" women were expected to show subservience to their fathers as girls, to their husbands as wives, and to their children in old age.

This began the traditional Japanese image of the "Good Wife, Wise Mother" in which women were supposed to remain as housewives after marriage, caring for the household, cooking, sewing, and being subservient to their husbands.

"[4] Indicating that women had fallen from their position of power as representations of the divine and were made subservient, reflecting the grandeur of others, becoming practically invisible on their own.

Women, who had been primarily relegated to office work or more likely, bound to the home, began to seek employment to supplement their husbands' military incomes.

During this postwar state, Japan was in a hurry to gain economic strength to match the west and women were a vital part of the labor force.

By the end of the 1990s, women were concentrated in light manufacturing work, such as food production, as well as tertiary industries, like retail business, restaurants, and financing companies.

No penalties were issued for companies that ignored this, meaning, only women who take on the same burden as male employees, of working full-time, with no breaks for pregnancy or child rearing, are able to have any hope of advancement.

The largest part of the labor force are not the full-time career women, but housewives who work part-time, supplementing the household budget.

In many instances of the Japanese work force, women who wish to receive equal pay and chances at promotion are expected to act like their salaryman counterparts.

[12][13] Challenges to the dominant male breadwinner model has led to changing social perspectives on the traditional role of the wife in providing familial care, although discrimination and stereotypes remain rampant.

[14][15][16] The Lost Decades forced a radical change in legislation as the government was now dealing with major declines in the economy and the competitiveness of Japan in the world markets.

Neoliberal trade liberalization policies resulted in increasing competitive pressures on Japanese companies, forcing many to reduce labor costs.

New fields, such as banking, journalism, insurance sales, and advertising; companies in the information industry, are very appealing to women, because they reward them based on individual ability.

The companies provide Japanese women, who have some foreign language proficiency, work in challenging fields with pay comparable to their male counterparts.

Women also have a better chance of promotion to managerial positions in foreign companies and are hired based on their skills, rather than potential abilities that can be mastered through on the job training, as is popular with Japanese firms.

They do, however, often work as message carriers, or in secretarial positions that allow them to act as emotional propagandists for the company, hearing secrets of workers and internal affairs.

Ethnographers also noticed this, stating that women have a great well of power, equal or greater to that of Japanese men, in terms of will, bravery, and psychological strength, despite being undervalued as members of the work force.

[29] While comparable to geisha, these women make livings entertaining business men, often spending large amounts of their work time with them.

This type of work borders on the sex industry, with women being paid to amuse men who eat and drink at night clubs, salons, taverns, etc.

[30] Hostesses will often play the part of a mother or housewife for male customers, caring for them, inflating their ego, and flirting with them, offering bits of flattery for tips.

Women between the ages of twenty-four and twenty-eight would often be advised to settle down as a subtle message to quit, as those years were considered the most suitable for marriage.

The second revolves around an environment that is denigrating to female workers, including sexual comments, lewd pictures, or inappropriate actions by male co-workers in the workplace.

Based on the Japanese idea of shame, some men, especially in large corporations, avoid sexual harassment at all costs to preserve their position.

Apart from their wives, mothers, and hostesses that salarymen spend time with, men live in separate spheres than women, so many are uneducated in the best ways to act.

[36] Despite improvements to health, education, and overall employment in 21st century postwar Japan, career women suffer from a large bit of gender inequality.

With the seniority system, workers were valued for lifetime contributions to their employers, who offered wage increases and promises of promotion depending on the number of years worked.

[42] Using a feminine perspective to appeal to female clients, while putting in the effort of working massive hours of unpaid overtime, Ichiko was able to prosper from her skill in a system based on seniority that frequently discriminated against women.

She is a different breed of career woman, who is both active in the world of women's rights, but also manages to run a private business on her own, though she attributes much of her success to the feminists who frequent her store.