Postby JohnCBriggs » August 11th, 2006 7:17 pm
Liz,
You had best believe that Japanese woman put up with a lot more than American women. I have heard this many times. Yes the men go out more often on their own than would be the norm in the US.
I attended MIT (a college) and there were a lot of Japanese students at the graduate level attending curtesy of a corporate sponsorship. My officemate was Japanese and he and his wife stayed in the US for 2 years. He complained that his wife's expectations for him increased tremenously because she lived in the US and saw what US women expect. This was a pain for him when he returned to Japan.
Also, I have talked to japanese women who have been educated in the US and returned to Japan. It is basically like being a second class citizen. Women who have experienced the US typically hate going back. I am sure there are some who would disagree with me, but I think in the main, I am right.
I sat painfully in a Japanese business meeting where language was a huge barrier. Later, I found that there was a young woman in the room with perfect English (had attended U.Cal.Berkley). I asked her why she didn't help. She said she could not because she was a woman and this would have embarrassed the men. The situation was stupid and never would have happened in the US. She was clearly the best person in the room to help and she could not due to her social standing.
All that said, I really like Japan, but then again, I am a guy.
Jya mata
ジョン