The State, Sex and Women’s Agency

• In Event: 563 - Regular Session. Sociology of Sexuality: Sexualities in Interaction

Abstract

This study uses a historical analysis of institutionalized prostitution from a socialist feminism standpoint to access the relationship between the role of Japan and Philippines in limiting women’s agency. In the 1930-40s, the Japanese military created the system of “comfort women” and forced women to serve Japanese forces in Asian countries, whereas the Philippines, which was victimized by the creation of “comfort women,” did not pursue public apologies from Japan, and overlooked the existence of its former “comfort women.” Today, the Japanese historical colonization of women has shifted to the contemporary neo-colonization of women from “comfort” to “leisure” in the global sex trade. Japan imports Filipinas through the use of “entertainment visas,” whereas the Philippines correspondingly exports them to Japan. While the historical colonization of women differs from that of neo-colonization, both the institutions of “comfort women” and the contemporary sex trade may place women in a similarly vulnerable position, akin to sexual slavery. The study finds that although the role of each state differs (Japan is the oppressor, whereas the Philippines is the oppressed), they share similar traits; women are used for national interests, and their agency is shaped by class, ethnicity, and citizenship status.

Author

• Yuka Kawahito Doherty, University of New Mexico