Abstract

This chapter explores the construction of female gender enacted in Japanese schools, as linked to the philosophy of the “good wife and wise mother”. The contribution of this chapter is in applying critical visual analysis to explore material and visual culture in Japan as a form of cultural capital and ideology, to consider possibilities for emancipatory action and education in Japan. The main question posed is, how may girls and women are positioned in Japanese society and what associated values do schools promote for girls in relation to school uniforms and female careers. A pilot study was conducted with four teachers, applying an analysis of participant and researcher selected photographs of schoolgirl uniforms and female professionals. A historical narrative and relevant perspectives from the cultural capital approach supported the answering of the study’s main question. The results suggest that interpretations of girls’ uniforms and future ideal career for women reveal a habitus that reproduces distinct gender roles in Japanese schools. This study does not challenge the values that were expressed in the interpretations and are promoted within Japanese society. Rather, it suggests that there is a need for more open interpretations of girls and women’s roles in the society, and Japan in particular. This could be achieved through teacher training that involves dialogues about material and visual practices enacted in school environments and how they may be positioning Japanese girls as subordinate members of the society.