If we look
closely the rather dramatic change in societal roles between Japanese men and
women has brought the limelight on two major issues power relation and gender equality. The emergence of both herbivore men and
carnivore women really disrupted the stable gender system in Japan. From my previous blogposts we holistically defined
and identified who the herbivore men are.
We efficiently exhausted the discussion on this gender group by looking
at various viewpoints and critical issues surrounding them. And so for this blogpost, let us briefly look
at the other end of the straw. We will
now focus our discussion on the counterpart of the herbivore men the carnivore
women.
For the sake
of proper contextualization, the points-of-discussion for this blogpost will
revolve around two vital components of women studies feminism and empowerment.
We will also take another look at carnivore women to have a more
concrete grasp of their gender identity.
But don’t you fret we will only touch the fundamental information to
avoid too much technicalities in the discussion. By doing so we will see how these concepts
complement the emergence of carnivore women.
I.
Feminism
When it comes to women studies the term feminism is a
powerful tool which serves as a general framework in the attempt to explain and
understand women. We can even say that
this has been the offspring of the various movements and initiatives to defend the
female group all over the world. And since
we are looking at Japan’s carnivore women I think that it is only necessary to
know a little bit about this concept as well.
I have come across Prof. Jane Freedman’s study entitled, “Concepts in theSocial Sciences: Feminism”. In her study she stated that, Feminism is a
term that emerged long after women started questioning their inferior status
and demanding an amelioration in their social position. Feminism is used to refer to the
late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century feminist movements that
were concerned with gaining equal rights for women particularly the right of
suffrage.
Following this account I think that feminism came to birth
because of the different struggles and injustices done to women. More than just a concept or framework I
believe that feminism is a direct movement developed by women themselves in
order to attract attention raise awareness and fight for their human and social
rights. It encompasses women values
beliefs rights and ideologies that aim not only to uphold the stature of women
but also recognize their role in the society.
In actuality feminism is a term very difficult to define
due to a number of explanations and descriptions made by scholars all in a systematic effort to operationalize this concept. I encountered Dr. Karen Offen’s journal
article entitled,“Defining Feminism: A Comparative Historical Approach”. In this journal
Dr. Offen mentioned that Feminism is theory that men and women should be equal
politically, economically and socially.
And for this blogpost, we will stick with this simple definition to
avoid confusion. I think that Dr.
Offen’s definition summarizes the core goal of feminism – gender equality. The battle for liberty has always been a part
of women’s live. I also agree that
political, economic, and social aspects are the areas where women have minimal
representation, even in the present time.
II.
Women
Empowerment
Now if
feminism is the movement aimed to defend women, then empowerment could be
considered as the desired outcome. Truth
is there is a dominant patriarchal syste, if not in all, in most countries. There is an evident bias in the way people
treat men and women. Gender-wise society
favors men than women. It can be seen in
all facets such as work home and community.
These may be attributed to the roles expected from both gender groups. And with the birth of feminism and feminist
theories empowerment was seen as the key in achieving gender equality.
In a journal
article by Ms. Nanette Page and Ms. Cheryl Czuba entitled, “Empowerment:What Is It?”, a simple definition
of this term was provided. According to
them Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain
control over their own lives. It is a
process that fosters power in people for use in their own lives their communities
and in their society by acting on issues they define as important.”
From this
take-off point, I think that empowerment is a venue that allows people to
capitalize on their resources to achieve their desired state. It provides opportunities that would
eventually lead to positive change and development. As mentioned, empowerment is
multi-dimensional which means that it does not have a single definition due to
its broad complexity.
In one of the
publications of USAID entitled, “Gender Equality and Female Empowerment”, the
agency provided a more concrete definition of women empowerment. According to USAID Female empowerment is
achieved when women and girls acquire the power to act freely, exercise their
rights, and fulfill their potential as full and equal members of society. While
empowerment often comes from within, and individuals empower themselves
cultures, societies, and institutions create conditions that facilitate or
undermine the possibilities for empowerment.
The agency
also identified seven guiding principles
to improve the lives of citizens around the world by advancing equality between
females and males, and empowering women and girls to participate fully in and
benefit from the development of their societies, as follows:
1.
Integrate gender equality and female empowerment
into USAID work.
2.
Pursue and inclusive approach to foster
equality.
3.
Build partnership across a wide range of stakeholders.
4.
Harness science, technology, and innovation to
reduce gender gaps.
5.
Address the unique challenges in crisis and
conflict-affected environments.
6.
Serve as a thought-leader and a learning
community.
7.
Hold ourselves accountable.
III.
Wild
Beasts
In my previous
blogpost, I have mentioned that carnivore women have become a concurrent trend
in Japan. I even gave a distinct account
of the carnivore women in relation to their reactions to the emergence of the
herbivore men. And so, allow me to just
briefly add some more traits to this gender group. I have come
across a journal article by Prof. Jhana Bach entitled, “From Boxed-In Daughters to Carnivore Women:Using Gender Metaphors in the Classroom”. Prof. Bach discussed that The shift in
masculinity made famous by grass-eating men seems to have given rise to a
corresponding shift in femininity, engendering carnivore females women who are
straightforward about getting what they want.
She even added that a carnivore woman pursues whatever she wants like a
predator whether it is sex or career success. Carnivorous women are looked upon
as 99.9% undesirable. These ladies are
interested in relationships and are pro-active enough to go out and seek them.
With this
description of carnivore women it can be said that the traits of the
conventional Japanese males and females have indeed reversed. I think that this sudden change was not solely
brought about by the shift in masculinity among men but also a deviation of
women from the never-ending stereotypes geared towards them.
In a nutshell
the emergence of carnivore women could be implicit effect feminism. By shifting from herbivore to carnivore,
women were able to freely express their feelings. They became aggressive in taking the lead and
competing with the opposite sex. These
carnivores gradually earned recognition in the society. But just like with the case of herbivore men,
these carnivores were not fully accepted in the Japanese society.
But know this
I believe that the emergence of carnivore women was not purely influenced by
the appearance of herbivore men.
Although there is somehow a mutually-exclusive relationship between
these two genders, carnivore women should not be treated and perceived as a seed
yielded from the domino effect created by the herbivores.
IV.
Perspective
In retrospect I sincerely believe that carnivore women are not by products of the emergence of herbivore men. I thnk that this is an indirect manner of these women to change the way people look at them. Escaping the stereotype and turning on a new leaf. They have grabbed the opportunity to prove to the world that they can be something more than what it meets the eye. A breath of fresh air. Let us all remember that no one likes to be pushed aside and driven in a corner. We deserved to be treated equally with utmost respect and as a man i believe that women should be treated with love,care and compassion. No questions asked.
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