some observations

Claudia and I have had several opportunities to talk with women here about balancing work and family life. The days when a woman walked ten paces behind her husband are definitely over, but there are still some defined roles for men and women. In this part of the country its pretty clear that a woman's role is to take care of the children and the home. (But I do think this often means they are very much in charge of what goes on in the household and I certainly don't think that all women feel oppressed by this role, either).

Everyone explains that a significant challenge for working women is a lack of child care options aside from parents or in-laws. As a result, most women who have children must stay home until the kids are old enough to go to school. The oldest girl child, like the oldest boy child, is encouraged to continue the family business. Some take this path, grudgingly or happily; others do their own thing, often to families' dismay.

So, while women may be encouraged and supported by spouses and families to go to work, they may not necessarily be able to have a long career. This is also one reason why many women in the big cities are postponing childbearing or choosing a career over having a family.

[Interesting side note: many women can take up to a year off from their jobs without pay for maternity leave. Also interesting: when I asked a room full of men if anything like paternity leave existed and they looked perplexed. When I asked them if there is talk of such a thing in the future, they laughed.] 　　

Of course there are women who completely defy the norm, such as Kashima-san, my current host mom. She's amazing! After her husband passed away from cancer 17 years ago, she hasn't missed a beat. She raised her two children on her own and helped found the Tainai Nakajo Rotary Club as a charter member. She's had a career as an architect, she hikes, she does yoga, she cooks a mean oknomiyaki (yes Dan, you should be jealous), she's a grandmother of two, AND she looks younger than me (now it's my turn to be jealous).

This has been a fascinating topic for us and I await Claudia's article ;)