Advances in Social Behavior Research

Rethinking the Debate over Motherhood Protection During the Taisho Period


Author

Kexuan Li * 1

1 Institute of Northeast Asia, Shan Dong University

Corresponding Author

Kexuan Li

Keywords

Japanese feminism movement, motherhood protection, Yosano Akiko, Hiratsuka Raicho

Abstract

Motherhood protection means that the government provides protective measures to help mothers during pregnancy and childbirth. During Taisho period, there was a heated discussion over motherhood protection among feminists. The leading feminists in this discussion, Hiratsuka Raicho and Yosano Akiko, held totally opposed ideas towards motherhood protection. It is worth noting that the differences in their views are mainly due to their different life experiences. This heated debate lasted for several years, although it did not reach a concrete conclusion, it left a valuable legacy for later generations of feminists. Analyzing the reasons for their different attitudes and exploring the theoretical logic behind their different attitudes can provide lessons for solving the problems of low fertility and motherhood protection in Japan and the world today. To truly protect women's interest and promote gender equality, motherhood protection should focuses more on the plight of women due to childbirth than national interest, making becoming a mother no longer be an obstacle to women's self-achievement and personal independence.

Citation

Kexuan Li. Rethinking the Debate over Motherhood Protection During the Taisho Period. ASBR (2021) ASBR Vol.1 No.1: 41-49. DOI: 10.54254/asbr.2021006.

References

[1]: Tomida, H. (2004) The Controversy over the Protection of Motherhood and its Impact upon the Japanese Women's Movement. European Journal of East Asian studies, 3, 243-271.

[2]: Lowy, D. (2004) Love and Marriage: Ellen Key and Hiratsuka Raichō Explore Alternatives. Women's Studies, 33, 361-380.

[3]: Maxson, H. (2018) From Motherhood in the Interest of the State to Motherhood in the Interest of Mothers: Rethinking the First Mothers’ Congress. Rethinking Japanese Feminisms. University of Hawaii Press, 34-49.

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

[5]: Larson, P.H. (1991) Yosano Akiko and the Re-Creation of the Female Self: An Autogynography. The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, 25, 11-26.

[6]: Lin, X. (2017) Exploration of Hiratsuka Raicho's Idea of Female Emancipation. MA thesis, Jilin University, 2017.

[7]: Akiko, Y. (1918) Joshi No Tetteishita Dokuritsu (Women’s Complete Independence). Fujin koron, 385-86.

[8]: Raicho, H. (1918) Bosei Hogo No Shucho Wa Iraishugi Ka (Is the Motherhood Protection a Kind of Indenpendent?). Fujin koron, 3, 87

[9]: Du, F.Y. (2016) On Hiratsuka Raicho's Ideas of Women's Liberation. MA thesis, Northeast Normal University.

[10]: Xie, C.B. and Tong, J. (2018) Analysis of Feminist Thought with Yosano Akiko. Japanese Studies, 2, 91-96.

Copyright © 2021 Eliwise Academy. Unless Otherwise Stated