<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the pickled plum?
Review: In Office Ladies and Salaried Men, Yuko Ogasawara's intent was to show that despite the OLs' lack of power within the workplace due to systemic gender discrimination, they do wield considerable influence within the company through various subtle ways. Most of these ways seem rather childish to me, and only reinforce the negative images of OLs as being spoiled and irresponsible. After reading this book, we get a picture of the Japanese office as a place filled with meek men cowed by the power that young female clerical workers wield over them through weapons such as gossip, Valentine's Day chocolates, and refusing to do work for men who don't please them (particularly stingy men.) However, this picture seems rather hollow and incomplete. Since the majority of OLs are in their 20s, and single, it would seem that their youth and sexual desirability would certainly play a role in the workplace, and not a very subtle one, either. Perhaps that would also explain the abundance of gift-giving and dinner treats the men lavish upon the young women (described in this book as tactics to placate the women and win their workplace loyalty.) In the pantheon of Japanese male sexual fantasies, uniformed OLs occupy a rather high position, and the OLs themselves are certainly aware of this. (Just think of the large numbers of them who reportedly chose their place of employment based solely on the fashionableness of the company uniform.) I had hoped that this study would at least have touched upon the sexual undercurrents which inevitably exist any time men and women work together. But the author seems curiously reticent on this aspect of office life. No mention is made, either, of male sexual harassment of women in the workplace, which other researchers claim is widespread in Japanese companies. If OLs wielded as much power as Ogasawara suggests, surely such sexual harassment would have died out long ago. Unfortunately, it hasn't.
So, although this book gives a fascinating glimpse into some of the male/female dynamics at work in a fairly typical white-collar office, I felt, as I read it, somewhat as if I were eating a sandwich without any meat in it...or a rice ball without an ume-boshi in the center.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good study of gender and power in Japanese business
Review: The author writes clearly and convincingly about the experience of being an office lady. She explains her entry into the work place, the importance of pecking order among both men and women, and more interestingly, the interaction between men and women in the workplace. A fascinating study on formal gift giving between men and women, and the opportunities to give strong feedback to workers who have displeased the gift giver is worth the price of the book. For readers looking for an insight into gender related work issues in Japan, and some wonderful clues about the real balance of power in the office, read on.
Rating: 
Summary: Subvert the dominant paradigm.
Review: This book (actually a dissertation) describes the power-hierarchy in Japanese companies. Throughout modernity-and into post-modernity- women in the professional Japanese workforce are often given jobs of menial nature. These women, so called "office ladies" or "office flowers", are not given the opportunity for career advancement. Instead they are bounded to their male superiors for whatever clerical jobs these men may desire. Ogasawara, however, posits that "office ladies" actually hold more power than is perceived on the surface. These women, because of their ability to make copies, types documents, and in some cases write detailed reports for the men, are highly valued. These men must, in a sense, "curry favor" with these women in order to: 1) Prove that they will be competent managers in the future and 2) handle all that is required of them from their superiors. (The abundant workload often leaves male employees with little time for making copies, running errands etc.) The methodology the author uses is participant observation. A great book for anyone interested in Japanese societal structure
<< 1 >>
|
