ABSTRACT
In a country where the traditional image of the ideal woman is still strongly adhered to, it is perhaps surprising to find that a relatively large number of women are professionals. Japanese women began entering the professions in small numbers during the Meiji Period. It is interesting that the first field open to women was medicine, an arena that perhaps seemed then, as it does too many Japanese, to be appropriate to the basically “nurturant” character of women. The backgrounds, experiences, and attitudes of these women were varied, and there seemed to be no correlation among age group, marital status, professional category, or presence or absence of children with attitudes. As long as the divisions remain, supported by patronage and belief systems, it seems unlikely that many women will be able to achieve fully equal participation in the professions with men.
