Names as Symbols of Dominance

Mai Yamaguichi, OCU

If you think about the power of a name, you must also think about the power of a society that gives names to things. Japan is an interesting place in which to examine the meaning behind a name. In Japan, the ways in which careers, for example, are named in the news are quite different between men and women, it seems, but quite unnoticeable. Female doctors are called “Joi” (女医), which means “female doctor” while male doctors are called “Ishi” (医師), which means simply, “doctors.” Another example is that female writers are called “Josei-sakka” (女性作家), which means “female writers” whereas male writers are called “Sakka” (作家), which means “writers.”

From this practice of naming, I think many people imagine that doctors are automatically males. Therefore, the word “female” is attached as an adjective for the woman who has this career. This kind of naming says something about Japanese society where “normal” thinking has men primarily at work and where it is rare that women also work. This kind of naming doesn’t represent reality. This article discusses how names for careers have an affect on people.

In Japan, the way to name a career is different depending on gender. This practice creates an obvious question: why do people ignore “male” as an adjective for careers that men have but use “female” as an adjective for women with careers? Many may people think that working people are men. Many people come up a "male" doctor when they hear the word "doctor". Therefore, people think that people who work are male because of that. However, many women work recently. For that reason, the thought, which says working women are strange, has to be reversed. If many people think that doctors have to be men, women doctors might be uncomfortable to work as doctors and it might be hard for them to success.

Isn’t it best to treat working men and working women equally? As mass media help reinforce this unfair idea of difference, unequal salaries that women and men receive can be legitimized. The number of working women is increasing; however, it is harder for them to earn the kind of money that men traditionally earn. Changing attitudes begins with the media, such as television, newspaper, and magazines. The mass media can begin a new practice and drop the gender-specific naming of careers so that differences can fade away. If this can happen, Japanese people can begin to change their thoughts that only men are doctors (or writers). Media have great power to improve Japanese people’s thoughts about the roles we take up. Media should be used more responsibly to create a sense of mutual respect across the sexes so that we can make a fairer world for all people.

In recent years in Japan, many women want to work just as men have done traditionally. The truth is that many men today also do house work and help raise children even more than their wives do. This why, I think, mass media should deal with men and women equally to recreate a society in which all people can live happily and with dignity.