The Masculine Ideal: Achieving Masculine Legitimacy in Contemporary Japan

It is the aim of this thesis to explore how men can achieve masculine legitimacy, or success, in contemporary Japan. Since the economic rise of the postwar period, the salaryman has been deemed the epitome of masculine success in Japan, but recent studies have highlighted the challenges to achieving this ideal, mainly because of economic and social changes in the last two decades. This thesis argues that the “salaryman ideal” continues to exist and produces a socially and institutionally created pressure on Japanese men, while accessibility to said ideal has eroded. The main argument is that despite growing awareness of the topic, through studies of areas such as work and family, the salaryman ideal is preserved, and that it is also internalized by individuals. Masculinity is a social demand that, without direct enforcement from state-led or private institutions, creates uneven and, in many ways, outdated pressure on men in Japan.

Author dc:creator

• Hjalti Freyr Hjaltason 2005-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskóli Íslands

• Japanskt mál og menning
• Karlmennska

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1946/52605

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/52605