With Shinzo Abe’s new ‘womenomics’ policy, you’d think that gender equality in Japan would be gaining traction. But then you hear about how Japanese women have just been told that, unless the man agrees to take the woman's name, they absolutely have to change their surname to their husband's after marriage. It's moments like this that you realise we're still lagging far behind.
Last month, the Japanese Supreme Court ruled to uphold the law regarding shared surnames, which originated in 1896 during the Meiji era. Though the law technically doesn’t declare which person in the relationship should give up their last name, 96 percent of couples reportedly end up choosing the husband’s name because he is the ‘head’ of the household. The reinforced ruling came about after a group of women, led by Minako Yoshii, protested the law. According to a survey done by Nikkei Business Daily last year, a whopping 77 percent of working women supported the abolishment of the law.
Yoshii told the Telegraph: 'I am embarrassed that Japan remains so behind. I was disappointed after hearing the verdict because I had high expectations – we brought the case to the court because lawmakers had neglected this issue for too long.' The court, however, simply stated that sharing names was 'deeply rooted in our society' and 'enables people to identify themselves as a part of a family in the eyes of others'. Tradition is important, sure, but so are empowerment and independence.
– Image by kuger13- via freeimages.com