Divorce in Japanese Families

Hi Liz, 

I'm do glad you're brining this up. It does seem like a far more extreme version of traditional gender roles than what we see in the United States today. Whether because of economic necessity or personal desire/ambition, it seems like a many (if not most) women today work outside of the home. The idea of mostly women remainaing housewives aligns more with Victorian America and Europe than modern expectations of men and women today. 

I think your point about divorce is really interesting. I just finished reading a book called Spinster about female writers living in the 1900s-1980s and the author talked a lot about how marriage was an economic necessity even for women who wanted to earn a living as a writer at the time. When women had the financial independence they were able to leave unhappy marriages, but divorce was a privilege. I wonder if the laws in Japan entitle women to much financial support if they choose to divorce their husbands. Also what are custody agreements typically like there? Or, if it fairly common for women to stay in unhappy marriages and/or endure infidelity because of their economic dependence on their husbands?