There is a certain condition that exists in modern Japan that plagues people’s lives and causes their world to come to a halt. Here, the mere thought of leaving their room is unthinkable, let alone going to school or working. They fill their time with games and other mindless entertainment, continuing to live on in their world away from society. Such is the Hikikomori, or as it roughly translates to acute social withdrawal. By nature, it is hard to say just how much this condition plagues Japanese people, as they seclude themselves in their rooms, hidden from the world. However, somewhere along with this narrative, the media has portrayed Hikikomori as mostly young adult men. Even in academia, the ratio of male to female Hikikomori is reported as 4:1 (Teo, 2010). Due to the inherent nature of this condition, it is difficult to make a definitive conclusion as to whether or not this bias is true. Regardless of this ratio, societal understandings of a condition that is 4 times more prevalent among men reveal much about the underlying gender expectations that Japanese men face. Therefore, these heavily skewed societal understandings of Hikikomori and will alter how women who are in similar positions are portrayed.

Last modified

• 06/30/2021

Creator

• Kikuchi, Thomas

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-h989-r006

Keyword

• Mental Health
• Asian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Psychology
• Gender
• Hikikomori

Date created

• 2021

Resource type

• Conference Proceeding

Rights statement

• In Copyright