Japan has a long history of segregating objects, practices, and such by gender. Like many cultures, Japan has a tendency to view certain things as being for men, while others are for women. Even in current times, despite the number of women who are in new, diverse careers, cases of sexual harassment and prejudice remain frequent. After all, women only comprise about 43% of the total labor force; a number still lower than other advanced countries such as Canada and Germany (The World Bank).
While many women are deemed to belong in the house, men are looked down upon when they take part in supposedly ‘feminine’ jobs. For example, there are still few male daycare center workers; a realm that has long been dominated by women. In response to a call for more male daycare staff, parents claimed that “they didn’t want male staff to touch infants and children, particularly girls” – which raises the question why there are no complaints against the female staff when it comes to handling boys (Japan Times).
There exists an unspoken, yet protected ‘line’ between male and female. Although there are no laws that forbid either gender from partaking in activities of the opposite sex, societal norms pervade one’s decisions and behavior depending on gender. With much thanks to the internet, more Japanese people are becoming aware and open on this subject, often through exchanging ideas and discussing ways to raise awareness. As a result, there is widespread interest in whether some practices should be gender-free or stay the way they are, distinguished by gender differences.
One area that is undergoing such debate is school uniforms. Japan’s school uniforms are well known for their appealing designs and the pop culture that surrounds them. The girls typically wear the iconic short, pleated skirts while the boys don the simple black trousers that are often romanticized in Japanese media, especially in manga and anime. However, many argue this difference is sexist, since the outfits are strictly coded by gender and as for the girls, the shorts skirts are often the reason for sexual harassment. In addition, the uniforms have seasonal disadvantages: the girls do not have to suffer the extreme heat and resulting sweat the boys have to undergo during the summers.
This is why the Kashiwanoha Junior High School in Chiba decided to hand over the matter to the students and parents. This school is significant for being one of the few schools for “introducing unisex uniforms or flexible uniform codes,” which is truly progressive in consideration of Japan’s traditional stance towards gender and the LGBTQ community. This kind system is ideal and logical, as it provides freedom to the students on what kind of uniform they wish to wear: unbound by norms regarding gender and sexuality.
While this may seem a small step in tackling Japan’s nature of dividing things by sex, it can be a helpful example for many by offering insight into the gender and sexuality spheres – both which are still considered relatively unknown topics. It can be applied to various institutions and environments by giving absolute freedom regardless of one’s gender and sexuality. By doing so, many will no longer have to suffer from harassment, hide their identity, or force themselves to stick to the norms. The line between the male and female is, at a gradual pace, fading away in Japan.