Japanese media are creating idealized images of working mothers that women may find off-putting and hard to emulate in real life, according to new research from Cambridge University.
The rise of the new motherhood identity could ironically be causing women to delay starting families as they feel intimidated by the portrayals in magazines, according to the research in a new book launched Tuesday.
In her contribution, Tianyi Vespera Xie, examines Japan's pregnancy and young mother magazines and demonstrates the emergence of a new "mama" identity that she describes as "both encouraging and intimidating." Mothers are encouraged to project an elegant and sophisticated style that exudes an air of responsibility and maturity, she writes.
"The pressure to obtain new qualifications and forge new career paths because there is no option to return to one's previous job, along with the aesthetic labor required to stay attractive and feminine, adds to the burden of being a mother in Japan."
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