Introduction
Throughout history, East Asian countries have been known as patrilineal and patrilocal ones; a major part of the East Asian culture, as well the society’s efforts were focused on a figure of a man. In addition, a person’s heterosexuality has been an unchangeable standard and requirement for many centuries. Even though globalization and neo-liberal thought have had a significant positive impact on the mentioned matters, the average mentality of various East Asian countries’ populations can still be characterized as a conservative one. Many non-heterosexual and/or non-binary people encounter multiple difficulties in their professional careers or everyday lives until the present day. In addition, the societal role of a woman, even though increasing steadily, remains somewhat oppressed by patriarchal cultural tradition. Thus, for example, the martial prospects of Chinese women are primarily formed by the people’s traditional assumptions towards a proper candidate for marriage (Constable 2003: 146). Although East Asian society has undergone a serious degree of liberalization, several essential issues, such as the condemnation of a person’s sexuality or gender and lack of women’s empowerment, are still present.
Condemnation of Sexuality
The first aspect that should be mentioned is the heteronormativity in East Asian countries, including the condemnation regarding the individual’s choice of profession and the heteronormativity in the workplace. Although most region countries had to rewire their economies and corporate systems towards the West, a major fraction of the traditional values remained unchanged. The country of South Korea can serve as a good depiction of this situation. Although the country’s economy moved “from an exhausted late-develop mentalist model of capitalism to a neoliberal one”, the barrier of heteronormativity and strong familial bonds remained unchanged (Cho 2003: 403). Even though the situation cannot be assessed as completely negative, the fact is that many Koreans prefer to keep their sexuality as a part of their private life (Cho 2003: 403). The existence of a psychological barrier and the fear of the risk of breaking ties with their family forces the non-heterosexuals in Korea to conceal their true sexuality and to register ‘contract’ heterosexual marriages (Cho 2003: 403). Another example of masculine corporatism is Japan, where, for example, the occupation of a male host is regarded negatively (Takeyama 2016: 79). Thus, the East Asian conservative approach is still present in matters regarding sexuality.
Lack of Women’s Empowerment and Male Dominance
Another crucial part of the existing issue is the male dominance and lack of women’s empowerment in this region’s cultural habits. Including the fact that women are underrepresented in various professional fields all across the globe, East Asia is not an exception (Guest 2014: 269). Since the culture in the region has been focused on a figure of a man or a son in the family, the regard for women has always been relatively low. In addition, although the East Asian customs are being altered by the process of globalization, such aspects as the marital prospects are still being influenced by the traditional system of values (Constable 2003: 146). As mentioned prior, the Chinese women’s interest in western men is often related to how they are used to perceiving their social mobility and their position in society (Constable 2003: 146). In other words, they often perceive marriage as a social ladder; although it is very important to note that this situation is not always the case, this model of perception still exists (Constable 2003: 146). Therefore, the described issue must be approached and analyzed, as it still exists and influences East Asian women.
Anthropology of Gender and the Reviewed Issue
During the process of the analysis of the given matter, several crucial issues were discovered and assessed; therefore, the Anthropology of Gender is able to provide a researcher with a deeper understanding of given issues. Due to the fact that this study uses such terms as ‘gender’ or ‘sexuality’, it is essential to mark that the Anthropology of Gender offers an insightful look into these terms’ nature. For example, the course answers the question of whether the behavior of a man or a man is mostly a biological or a cultural phenomenon (Guest 2014: 271). Therefore, the given course has offered a significant part of the information regarding the studied matter.
In addition, the first steps towards addressing and possibly solving the given matter must be made with the inclusion of the region’s cultural specificities. Since every region of the world obtains its own unique history of development and cultural heritage, there is a need to consider these particular aspects apart from operating the main theoretical basis of gender studies. Such factors as a specific culture’s understanding of gender and sexuality must be taken into account for a better approach to the matter.
Conclusion
The region of East Asia has a unique and rich history combined with continuous cultural tradition; however, some of these cultural aspects appear to be heteronormative, patriarchal, and homophobic. Although almost every East Asian country has been liberalized by seeking stronger ties with the West, several crucial issues must be addressed. The mentioned cultural aspects influence women and non-heterosexual or non-binary persons. Thus, the theoretical basis of Anthropology of Gender and proper cultural approach can highly benefit the solution of the discussed issues.
References
Cho, J. (2009). The wedding banquet revisited: Contract marriages between Korean gays and lesbians. Anthropological Quarterly, 82(2), 401-422.
Constable, N. (2003). Women’s agency and the gendered geography of marriage. University of California Press.
Guest, K.J. (2014). Gender in cultural anthropology: A toolkit for a global age. W.W. Norton & Company.
Takeyama, A. (2016). Entrepreneurial attraction. Stanford University Press.