Women's Roles

Kurt, I completely understand the shock that a 1940s mindset still exists in regards to women's roles in Japan. That exists here as well. I grew up in a religious/societal culture in which women are/were expected to be at home caring for the children (better designed for caretaking) while men were to provide for all temporal needs. My mother bucked that tradition in the 1970s by going to medical school and becoming a doctor (she was considered an old maid when she married my dad at 27, and he was from a different religion), but a well-intentioned friend once expressed concern at my older sister pursuing a PhD because she would "scare off all the boys".  While this culture has softened its stance, and has encouraged women to get all the education they can and have marketable skills, this is so that they can be better mothers and pass this knowledge onto their children, and be able to support their family just in case their husband dies young, loses his job, or becomes disabled and cannot work. I have many friends who do this (granted they have 4-7 kids), but there are many who feel guilt over having kids and choosing to work, even if they "don't have to". When you have grown up with cultural expectations it can be incredibly hard to leave them behind.