Women's Rights
In early industrialisation young women worked in unhealthy conditions in factories, they were exploited and never gained complete independence of freedom. Later in the industrialisation of the Meiji Era, the authority of fathers and sons (men in general) was lessened meaning women were given some power to themselves. However, they were not allowed to have legal rights and they were controlled by the head of their household. Later, in the 1940’s women were encouraged to create associations and clubs, the women were rewarded for fertility and having children was seen as a patriotic duty to the Japanese Empire. During the Meiji Era the mantra for women was: ryosai kenbo, or good wife and wise mother. Women were encouraged to be educated and make a place for themselves in the world so that they could raise intelligent Japanese children. However, women were still to be inferior to their husbands or the head of their household. The rights they were granted in marriage meant that she could divorce a man or the grounds of being cruel or abusive but not if he had cheated on her. A woman could also own her own land but after she was married she had to have her husband’s consent for all purchases and selling’s.