Gender and Sexuality in Japanese Education: From Gender Disparity to Intersectional and Multiple Gender/Sexualities

Abstract

This chapter examines both traditional and recent studies that pursue the central question of gender and sexuality studies in Japanese sociology of education: how gender and sexualized power relationships are constructed at school and among youth in Japan. The thread of these studies is woven through the depiction of three theoretical focuses: gender disparity, gender construction, and the intersectionalities and multiplicities of gender and sexualities. These studies work hand in hand to explore still-persistent gender disparities in education, invisible gendered constructions in the organization of Japanese schools, and the multiple and intersectional interplays of gender, sexualities, and other axes of power relations. Although this chapter does not cover the whole picture of gender and sexuality studies in Japanese sociology of education, this chapter aims to introduce the rich body of Japanese gender studies in education, which in turn will shed light on how the construction of gender and sexualities is intertwined with its specific systems, social context and relationships, and cultural practices. Gender and sexuality studies in Japan could move from the periphery to the theoretical center of the field of sociology of education and serve as a driving force for understanding Japanese youth and education. This chapter hopes to contribute to this move.