Stereotypes Of Japanese Culture

As societies modernize and industrialize, century old traditions are forced to change. The stereotypes of Japanese culture include ideas such as; Women are to marry young and become housewives, everyone in Japan is competitively genius, and that it is uncommon to share feeling because it shows weakness. As these ideas fall to the wayside, women are entering the workforce altering the economy, and changing the way children are raised. These effects may also be changing the rates of suicide in these young children as they compete for the top rank in their schools to bring honor to their families. In a typical Japanese marriage, it is the woman’s sole responsibility to raise a family and maintain the home, while the man is to work and earn money. While women work approximately thirty hours a week completing chores in the house, men spend around two. This imbalance of the work load can cause a strain on marriages; It does

Because of the drop in fertility rate, there are less men in the workforce, creating more opportunities in advancement for women. As families grow smaller, children are not as exposed to effectively using teamwork, and it is apparent in the workplace. Coworkers are not as close and do not spend time together after hours like they used to. As the population declines and workers become less efficient, the economy has actually become better than before. As this society undergoes many changes in the social aspects, the suicide rate is also on the rise. Japan now has the third highest suicide rate in the world, around sixty percent higher than most western countries. Most of these tragic deaths are committed by school kids and young adults. Some old customs are still in place and are making it difficult for these kids to express how they feel and receive the help they need. This tragedy is not only affecting children, the leading cause of death for men from ages twenty to forty four is