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Society: Feminism

In this lesson you will read about Feminism and how it has changed the way people think about women.

Part 1: Women in Japan

Think about women in Japan. Read these questions.

Write your opinion () in your notebooks.Do you think that women have equal rights in Japan? (Why or why not )

Do you want equal rights for women in Japan? (Why or why not)

What are some stereotypes of women in Japan? (Why or why not)

Are women only clubs, bars and gyms a good or a bad thing? (Why or why not)

Part 2: Vocabulary

Part 3: The history o f Femin ism

Read the report. Answer these questions. Write in your notebook.

What changed in 1928?

What new laws started in the 1960s?

Why did a new Feminism start in the 1990s?

What is Revolutionary Girl Utena about?

What changes have happened in Japan about womens rights in the last 10 years?

Find these words in the dictionary. Write the meaning in your notebook.

Feminism, equality, patriarchal, stereotypes, discrimination, punish, attitudes, illegal

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Feminism

Feminism is the idea that women are equal to men. Feminists want equality, or equal rights, for womenincluding pay, legal, and working rights, and stopping domestic violence and sexual harassment.

The history of feminism starts with the suffragette movement in Britain andAmerica in the 1900s. Suffragettes wanted the right to vote in elections. They

had many demonstrations and in Britain in 1928 the law was changed so thatall women over 18 could vote.

In the 1960s Feminists wanted to change patriarchal society so that womencould have the same rights as men. They wanted to change stereotypesabout women; for example, most people thought women should get marriedand have children. They should not have a job or be independent.

In the 1960s in America new lawsmade discrimination against womenillegal. If a company did not choose awomen to do a job because she wasa women then they would bepunished.

In the 1990s a new Feminism started because women still hadmany problems including sexual harassment, discrimination at workand in society, and unequal rights.

Feminists now try to change the ideaswomen have about themselves. An example of this is the Japanese animeRevolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena).

In this story a young woman wants to be a Prince. By changing her idea aboutwhat she wants to be and how she acts, she is changing her idea about herself.

She is has her own ideas and identity, and does not need men.

A famous Japanese feminist is Kato Shidzue.She was born in 1897 and was one of the firstwomen politicians, working from 1946 to 1974 forthe Japan Socialist Party. She started the JapanFamily Planning Association in 1948 which helps

women to get birth control and contraception.

Japanese society is changing. WomenOnly bars, restaurants, trains, and gymsare very popular, and women have jobs

and careers, but there are still problems such as unequal pay andunequal protection after divorce.