Gender - Keeping it Equal

Last week we began to discuss to roles of males and females in society, particuarly in relation to jobs and family. From our smaller group discussions it was clear that Japan and England were quite similar when it came to equal opportunities in the workplace. Both male and females can do the same job, and there are laws and legislations in place to enable that happens. Less women are taking up the life of a housewife, and more are pursuing a successful career. But it isn't just women's rights which are considered; in the past, males in Japan could not do certain jobs like be a nurse etc and men can now get a considerable amount of time off work as paternity leave.

In England, women can just as driven as men to pursue a successful career. I don't think this attitude is gender specific, more of a personal choice. Some men may be attracted to certain jobs relating to their interests e.i. cars, but there are women who share these interests that also attain jobs in these areas successfully. However, in jobs such as building, plumbing etc,there may still be the notion of 'this is a man's job' and despite laws and legislations, in the interview process there is still room for personal opinion and many may just opt out of giving a female a job over a male.

I think work should be important for both men and women in a family. It should all be equal whether its work-life or home-life. I think its important to have a good balance of both. However, in the case of a child being born, the mother would get a longer paternity leave and so I think it is important for the father to work during this time in order to support the family. Both roles of mother and father are important for children because they can learn a lot of things from both parents. There are some things that are gender specific, like when a child hits puberty, and so one parent then may be able to give the better advice.