Tag: Asia

Craving Freedom, Japanese Women Opt Out of Marriage

Not so long ago, Japanese women who remained unmarried after the age of 25 were referred to as “Christmas cake,” a slur comparing them to old holiday pastries that cannot be sold after Dec. 25. Today, such outright insults have faded as a growing number of Japanese women are postponing or forgoing marriage, rejecting the…

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“Not Just a Maid”: The Ultra-Running Domestic Workers of Hong Kong

Foreign maids first arrived in Hong Kong in the 1970s, when there was a shortage of local full-time housekeepers as the economy began to take off in line with China’s opening up. Today, there are 380,000 maids who make up five percent of the population. Now, a growing community of maids have taken up trail…

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The Women Who Are Clearing Minefields in Sri Lanka

It has been nearly 10 years since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, a horrific conflict that lasted more than 25 years and claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. A decade later, land mines and unexploded ordnance still litter the northern landscape, endangering those who are trying to return to their previous lives. This…

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Japan’s Working Mothers: Record Responsibilities, Little Help From Dads

Many Japanese women are stuck in limited roles in the workplace, and one of the biggest hindrances to their ambitions — and the nation’s as a whole — is the disproportionate burden women shoulder at home. While they have entered the work force at historic levels, their avalanche of domestic responsibilities is not shrinking —…

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The South Asian Artists Making Their Mark on the Western Scene

Women from India, Pakistan and beyond are finally gaining recognition thanks to a spate of recent and coming museum shows. This article looks at a select group of women who are forging new narratives about contemporary South Asian art — and receiving unprecedented attention from major institutions in the United States. The video highlights a…

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