Women in politics in Japan: beyond housewife activism

This article examines the obstacles preventing women from entering national-level politics in Japan and reviews research by political scientists and sociologists who use methods associated with anthropology such as participant observation and interviews to investigate the rise of women’s political activism at local levels. The article discusses “housewife” activism that has propelled significant numbers of women into political office but relies on associations of women with domestic roles. It argues that in spite of the advantages obtained by the model of housewife activism such as inclusive, caring, and egalitarian politics, we need to move beyond this model and its reliance on the gendered division of labor if we are to obtain greater political participation for women at national levels and for politics to better represent the interests of voters.