Herbivorous Men, Carnivorous Women: Negotiating Masculinity and Femininity in Japanese "Marriage-Hunting"

• In Event: 2363 - Masculinities I

Abstract

While recent advances in theories of masculinities have shown new avenues for gender domination afforded to young men, they have left the role of femininity in these negotiations of gender regimes undertheorized. This article examines the ongoing renegotiation of gender ideals in the arena of dyadic romantic relationships occurring against the backdrop of demographic and socioeconomic changes in contemporary Japan. Drawing on 45 in-depth interviews with young Japanese men and women, as well as ethnographic observations, I show how the co-definition of hybrid masculinities and femininities upholds hegemonic gender relations. My findings suggest that by linking the hybrid categories of “herbivorous men” and “carnivorous women” to economic transformations the participants underplay men’s structural power and overemphasize women’s empowerment while maintaining the normative value hierarchy inherent to gender hegemony. Further, by showing how these hybrid performances are evaluated by both married and unmarried individuals, I draw analytic focus to relational and interactional aspects of gender and demonstrate their importance for gender change beyond individual identities.

Author

• Anna Wozny, University of Michigan