ABSTRACT
Women are exercising, their new legal rights to vote and hold office, to own and transmit property, and to divorce. More women sit in the Japanese Diet than in the United States Congress. The majority of women in Japan, whether married or single, cling to the traditional definition of woman as “good wife and wise mother.” There has been no fundamental questioning of this traditional ideal. Many thousands of women are able to live fulfilling lives within this traditional role. Women who adhere to the single-role life style are subject to tensions within that domestic role. Many women gain emotional satisfaction primarily through their relationships with their children, since companionship is not part of the traditional husband-wife relationship. Others, who find their identity threatened when their one role is dissolved through death or divorce are faced with an existential crisis.
