![]() ![]() ‘Freeter’ is often compared with the UK-originated ‘NEET’, which stands for “Not in Employment, Education or Training” – in other words, a bludger. The term is said to be a portmanteau of the English word ‘free’ and the German word ‘arbeiter’, which means ‘labourer’, and which already exists as a loan word in Japan to describe casual jobs – ‘arubaito’. ‘Freeter’, a term which originated in Japan, describes a person who, for one reason or another, has foregone the job security of salaried employment. But in Japan, the disillusionment is so strong that it has turned into a clearly identified social movement. To some degree, there is a similarity here to the gap happening in Australia between Baby Boomer ideals and those held by Generation X or Y or whatever letter we’re up to now. Japan’s youth are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the social expectations so celebrated by their parents’ generation. Roles for women haven’t changed much – women working in offices still make the tea and often quit to get married, and that glass ceiling hasn’t gotten very much thinner over the years. ![]() Salaryman roles still exist in abundance, but the traditional job security of the salaryman flew out the window when the economic bubble burst in the early 90s. Although there are some women who pursue the same opportunities a man would expect, and who would be referred to as a ‘career woman’, these women have been rare, and have faced a thick glass ceiling.įast-forward to Japan as it is today. Unlike the salaryman role, an O.L role is not generally considered to be a career position, and these women, who are usually responsible for general administrative tasks, are typically expected to only continue working until they can find themselves a husband. Women in the same workplaces are typically referred to as O.Ls – which stands for ‘Office Lady’. ![]() In Japan, business and bureaucracy is traditionally very much a man’s world. The Japanese dream was completed by marriage to a woman who would be a housewife and stay-at-home mum, and a mortgage on a house as close to the city as the family could afford. This was a time in which a salaryman typically began his career alongside his peers immediately upon graduation from university, and could generally expect lifelong job security, and hopefully strong career progression as well. During this period of growth, salaryman positions came to signify masculine success. The number of white-collar jobs available in Japan increased dramatically post-WWII, as the country pursued rapid economic growth in a changing world. The term ‘salaryman’ refers to Japanese men who are employed in white-collar jobs. ‘Salaryman’ describes the idea of a typical Japanese businessman (literally: a salaried man), a cut-and-paste clone in a cut-and-paste suit, who is more dedicated to his job than to his family. You’re probably aware of it, even if you’d never heard what it was called. One Japanese icon that is recognised worldwide is the stereotype of the ‘salaryman’. ![]()
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