In My Year of Meats, one of the author’s main characters Akiko has a verbally and sometimes physically abusive husband and she is definitely not alone in experiencing this abuse, according to Suvendrini Kakuchi’s article Rights-Japan: New Laws Demanded against Domestic Violence, more than half of Japanese women report abuse by their spouses but their please are often ignored by authorities (Kakuchi, p.1). Japan has a very male-oriented view of society and they believe that women should only be wives and mothers and many still believe that domestic violence is a personal problem between husband and wife and no one else should be involved. Most of these cases go unreported because of the women’s economic dependence on her husband and the scarcity of jobs for women.
Reading this article has helped me understand My Year of Meats a little better because while reading it you just can’t help think why doesn’t Akiko just leave her husband but when you think about the lack of resources and assistance for abused women in Japan you start to understand her hesitance in leaving or getting help, she would just get turned away or end up homeless. Kakuchi also talks about how many feminist organizations today are demanding new legislation that will mandate prison sentences or heavy fines for men who are found guilty of domestic violence (Kakuchi, p.1). Women in Japan today are also becoming braver about coming forward because of a growing consciousness for their own rights and protection. People in Japan are also changing their views on gender roles, a survey done by the government showed that only 25 percent of respondents supported stereotypical gender roles (Kakuchi, p.2). It appears that the people of Japan are changing their views on many things and hopefully bringing more awareness to domestic violence becomes a priority.
Works Cited
Kakuchi, Suvendrini. "Rights-Japan: New Laws Demanded Against Domestic Violence." Interpress Service (2000): 2.
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