Topic > Roles of Women in Medieval Japan

Throughout the time and society of medieval Japan, women never had the chance to choose what they wanted to do in their future lives: they had to do what the emperor wanted. Women in medieval Japan were all raised as housewives and took care of everything while all the men went out to hunt, protect the king, and provide for their family. The jobs and roles assigned to women were not the hardest jobs or the easiest, however they were difficult and not something you wanted to do every single day. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe roles women had varied in all families at the time. However, there were two or three main jobs that women had to do to stay in the family. One of the roles they were forced to fill was that of cleaner. If you were a woman every day in medieval Japan, you would stay at home and clean everything every single day. While at home, they also had to teach their children what to do and how to do it. Because they have no choice and if they don't know the essential things they will never be able to get married or have a family. The reason for this was that women were much less important than men and that is why they could not choose anything in their entire lives. This meant that in the higher social classes there were not as many women as men. Furthermore, the degree of freedom of women in Japan was generally low. The roles changed: if you were of a higher social class you would have easier roles than those of a lower social class. There were very few female samurai in medieval Japan, however if you were a female samurai you were allowed to carry weapons to defend and protect yourself and your family. The most common weapon they had was a dagger which they usually put in their sleeves because it was extremely easy to access if they needed to stab or throw it at someone. Another weapon they used was the Naginata. This weapon was shaped like a long sword, however it was extremely light compared to other swords such as the katana. Because this weapon was so large, they could actually hide it on them, so they usually kept it in an easy-to-access space in case they needed it urgently. Women in medieval Japan were not all like that, so husbands there would normally have to protect their family. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay As geisha women in medieval Japan, your main role and purpose was to perform and entertain people. The skills that female geisha had to possess to carry out their work included traditional Japanese dancing, playing musical instruments, and knowing how to speak to guests who were mainly men. Geisha women were highly respected for what they did and the skills they possessed, also, sometimes, they were respected for their wealth, I don't know why but they were. There is also a term used for young and often still training geisha called Maiko.