An Examination of the Concept of ‘Honorary Male’: Why are Female Leaders Criticized?”

An Examination of the Concept of ‘Honorary Male’: Why are Female Leaders Criticized? 「名誉男性」概念をめぐる考察: 女性リーダー批判の背景をさぐる Written by Suzuki Ayaka Translation by Audrey Chau, Nina Urban, Johanna Wieser, and Julian Wollinger This paper aims to examine the meaning of the term “honorary male” (meiyo dansei), which has been used by female citizens in contemporary Japan. Japan’s Gender Gap Index ranking continues to stagnate. The primary factor for Japan’s poor ranking is attributed to the lack of progress in the appointment of women mainly in the political and economic domains. The Japanese government has been implementing policies to increase female leadership since the 2000s; however, these efforts have not borne fruit. In fact, today, some female leaders such as politicians and bureaucrats are criticised as being “honorary male”. Through an analysis of newspaper articles containing the term “honorary male”, this paper argues that this term has been in use since the 1980s in Japan. In the 1990s, women who worked among men used this term in narratives reflecting on their own work styles. In the late 2010s, the term “honorary male” began to be used by intellectuals when criticizing female leaders who appeared to be “assimilating” into the male paradigm. While Japanese feminism had similar terms such as “daddy’s girl” and “kō-itten” this paper suggests that the term “honorary male” is an accessible term for female citizens when they criticize women in male-dominated groups or organisations.