Progress and Feminism

Progress and Feminism

1985 9 September 12 Progress and Feminism (355) In Japan about 15 million women are employed in outside – their homes-jobs in offices and factories. Far from enjoying an equal position with their male counterparts, they serve as helpers and subordinates.

Two Japanese women have recently been elected to the cabinet, but only thanks to Women’s Year which will come to an end in 1985. Of the 608 diplomats in Japan, only twelve are women. Even to this day Japan’s society is basically a male-dominated one. This is what the present woman minister said in the report:

“A bill, yet to be passed by the parliament, on ending discrimination against women, is considered by many of its male critics as reverse discriminatory.”

Those who subscribe to the view that a nation will fail to march ahead without the participation of women who constitute almost half of the population need to make a reappraisal of their ideas. There is no doubt about it that Japan is rated as one of the most developed nations of the modern world, but all its developments have taken place without women’s involvement as equals in non-domestic activities.

In olden times the spheres of men’s and women’s activities were considered separate. In modern times, however, this demarcation has been cast aside, and the argument put forward that a nation cannot progress if women are not offered equal opportunities to share in the building of it. But the experiment of giving women a free hand has shown that the abolition of the ancient system of the division of labour has not contributed to progress to any significant degree. In the countries where women have already been offered equal opportunities in every field, even there, in practice, all important, advanced fields are dominated by men.

Japan’s example has challenged the feminist view. Japan, in every sense of the word, is a developed country of the modern world, but its society is still male-dominated like those of ancient times. This proves that the development of a nation does not depend upon equal participation of women, as is held by militant feminists the world over.

People generally quarrel because they cannot argue.

G.K. Chesterton