THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON GENDER EQUALITY - CASE STUDY: JAPAN

Mirkovic, Nikola

doi:10.69648/MDSJ4871

Abstract

The theoretical framework of this paper is the influence of religion on gender equality in the contemporary world. More precisely, in con temporary Japan. This paper aims to analyze the position of women in Japan, a country that has shaped its cultural and social structure through syncretic religions and partly through Christianity. To analyze this phenomenon, we will explore and compare teachings on the position of women in the religions present in this country, and thus examine the correlation between religion and gender equality. In addition to the descriptive analysis, official statistical data from several relevant sources will be shown. This paper does not seek to present religion as the most significant or only factor shaping the position of women but rather aims to highlight this issue from a perspective that has, to some extent, been neglected.

Keywords

References

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[1] Dickinson, R. (2020). Mala knjiga o svetskim religijama [A little book about world religions]. Miba Books.

[2] Eweje, G., & Nagano, S. (2021). Corporate social responsibility and gender equality in Japan. Sprin ger International Publishing.

[3] Fish, M. S. (2002). Islam and authoritarianism. World Politics, 55(1), 4–37. https://doi. org/10.1353/wp.2003.0004 https://doi.org/10.1353/wp.2003.0004

[4] Freedom House. (2022). Japan. https://freedomhouse.org/country/japan/freedom-world/2022

[5] Hartz, P. R. (2009). Shinto (3rd ed.). Chelsea House Publications.

[6] Huntington, S. P. (1991). The third wave (Vol. 199, No. 1). University of Oklahoma Press.

[7] Inglehart, R. (2003). Rising tide: Gender equality and cultural change around the world. Cambridge University Press.

[8] Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2019). Women in national parliaments. http://archive.ipu.org/ wmn-e/classif.htm

[9] Kabilsingh, C., & Dhammananda, B. (1998). Women in Buddhism: Questions and answers.

[10] King, U. M. (1995). Gender and the study of religion. In U. King (Ed.), Religion and gender (pp. 1–44).

[11] Kitamura, M. (1982). The animal-wife: A comparison of Japanese folktales with their European coun terparts (Doctoral dissertation). University of California, Los Angeles.

[12] Klingorova, K., & Havlicek, T. (2015). Religion and gender inequality: The status of women in the societies of world religions. Moravian Geographical Reports, 23(2), 2–11. https://doi. org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0006 https://doi.org/10.1515/mgr-2015-0006

[13] Kobayashi, Y. (2012). A path toward gender equality: State feminism in Japan. Routledge.

[14] Mackie, V. (2003). Feminism in modern Japan: Citizenship, embodiment and sexuality. Cambridge University Press.

[15] Park, C. M., & Shin, D. C. (2006). Do Asian values deter popular support for democracy in South Korea? Asian Survey, 46(3), 341–361. https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2006.46.3.341

[16] Peach, C. (2006). Islam, ethnicity and South Asian religions in the London 2001 census. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 31(3), 353–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475 5661.2006.00208.x

[17] PEW Research Center. (2020). The global God divide. https://www.pewresearch.org/glo bal/2020/07/20/the-global-god-divide/Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet. (1946). The Constitution of Japan. https://japan.kantei. go.jp/constitution_and_government_of_japan/constitution_e.html

[18] Sato, B. (2003). The new Japanese woman: Modernity, media, and women in interwar Japan (Vol. 96). Duke University Press.

[19] Stepan, A. C. (2000). Religion, democracy, and the “twin tolerations”. Journal of Democracy, 11(4), 37–57. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2000.0088

[20] The Bible. (2018). Sveti Arhijerejski Sinod Srpske pravoslavne crkve [The Holy Synod of the Ser bian Orthodox Church].

[21] The Global Economy. (2023). Japan: Women in parliament. https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/ Japan/Women_in_parliament/The World Factbook. (2025). Japan. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ja pan/#people-and-society

[22] Vekovic, M. (2022). Religija za politikologe [Religion for political scientists]. Filip Visnjic.

[23] World Economic Forum. (2020). Global gender gap report 2020. https://www3.weforum.org/ docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf