Women's studies

A field of study that reexamines existing male-dominated academic fields from a female perspective. It is a translation of the term "women's studies," which began in the United States in the late 1960s. It was born out of the need for new perspectives and methodologies to elucidate the various issues and experiences of women, as well as the structure of gender discrimination, that had not previously been addressed in male-dominated academic fields.

In the 1960s, alongside social movements such as university reform, the women's liberation movement (the second wave feminist movement centered on women's liberation) unfolded. The first wave feminist movement, which took place from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, was centered on women gaining the right to vote, but the second wave feminist movement made it clear that the problem of discrimination against women could not be solved by reform of laws and social systems alone. Women's studies was born out of the expectation that it would play a role as the theoretical backbone of this women's liberation movement.

The establishment of women's studies courses at universities was proposed at the Women's United Conference in 1969, which was attended by various women's liberation movement groups in the United States. In response to this, the first women's studies program was established at the University of California, San Diego in 1970, and within a short time, women's studies were incorporated into the curriculum of the majority of universities in the United States.

In Japan, Teruko Inoue (1942-2021), a professor emeritus at Wako University, heard at a liberation training camp held in Shinanotaira (Iiyama City), Nagano Prefecture in 1971 that women's studies were beginning to take place at American universities, and became interested in the topic. This prompted her to collect information in the United States, co-author a book titled "Women's Studies Courses at American Universities," which was published in the 20th issue of the Women's Issues Forum Newsletter (1974). At that time, she translated women's studies as "women's studies" and introduced it to Japan. In 1974, Inoue opened the first women's studies course in Japan at Wako University, entitled "Special Lectures on the Sociology of Women."

Women's studies subsequently developed following the International Women's Year in 1975 (known as the "International Women's Year" at the time). Related academic societies were established, and women's studies-related courses began to be offered at universities and junior colleges.

Inoue lists the following three as academic achievements that have been pioneered by women's studies.

First, he created the concept of gender. He discovered that the personality and attitude tendencies, status, roles, etc. of men and women are not due to biological or physiological differences between the sexes, but are due to socially and culturally created differences between the sexes, that is, gender, and thus broke the biological and physiological fatalism.

Second, the division of labor by gender was elucidated and the myth of gender roles was shattered. Based on the recognition that the division of labor by gender roles is the root cause of discrimination against women, attention was directed to the structure of gender roles, and the division of labor by gender in modern society was elucidated.

Thirdly, he academicized sexuality and reproduction. Issues of sexuality and reproduction had not previously been the subject of academic study, but he created concepts such as sexual harassment and domestic violence, and also pioneered research into the politics and history of reproduction.

The perspective of women's studies is expanding not only into the fields of humanities and social sciences, but also into the field of natural sciences.

[Machiko Kamio November 17, 2021]

"Teruko Inoue, 'The Creation of Women's Studies and the Wako University Initiative'" (published in the 'Wako University Faculty of Contemporary Human Studies Bulletin' No. 4, 2011, Wako University Faculty of Contemporary Human Studies)" "Kimio Ito, Minori Kimura, and Junko Kuninobu, 'Women's Studies and Men's Studies: An Introduction to Gender Theory', 3rd Edition (2019, Yuhikaku Alma)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

女性の視点にたって、男性主体の既成の学問を見直す学問。1960年代後半にアメリカで始まったwomen's studiesの訳語。それまでの男性主体の学問が取り上げてこなかった、女性に関するさまざまな問題や経験および性差別の構造を解明するためには、新たな視点と方法論が必要であることから生まれた。

　1960年代に、大学改革運動等の社会運動と並び、女性解放運動（ウーマン・リブを中心とする第二波フェミニズム運動）が繰り広げられた。19世紀中葉から20世紀初頭に起こった第一波フェミニズム運動は、女性の参政権獲得を中心に展開されたが、第二波フェミニズム運動は、女性差別の問題は、法律や社会制度の変革だけでは解決できないことを明らかにした。この女性解放運動の理論的支柱を担う役割を期待されて誕生したのが女性学である。

　大学における女性学講座の設置は、アメリカのあらゆる女性解放運動グループが参加した1969年の「女性が結集する会議」で提案された。これを受けて、1970年にカリフォルニア州立サン・ディエゴ大学で最初の女性学のプログラムが組まれ、それ以降、短期間のうちに、アメリカの過半の大学のカリキュラムに取り入れられるに至った。

　日本では、和光大学の名誉教授であった井上輝子(てるこ)（1942―2021）が、1971年（昭和46）に長野県信濃平(しなのたいら)（飯山(いいやま)市）で開催されたリブ合宿で、アメリカの大学でwomen's studiesというものが始まりつつあるとの話を聞いて関心をもった。これを契機として、アメリカで情報を収集し、共著で「アメリカ諸大学の女性学講座」にまとめて、『婦人問題懇話会会報』20号（1974）に発表した。その際に、women's studiesを「女性学」と訳して日本に紹介した。そして井上は、1974年、和光大学で「女性社会学特講」という科目名で、日本で初めての女性学講座を開講した。

　女性学は、その後、1975年の国際女性年（当時は「国際婦人年」）を契機に発展した。関連する学会が誕生し、大学や短期大学において、女性学関連科目が設置されるようになった。

　井上は、女性学が切り開いた学問的功績として、次の三つをあげている。

　第一に、ジェンダー概念の創出である。男女の性格・態度の傾向性、地位、役割等が、生物学的・生理学的性差によるものではなく、社会的・文化的につくられた性差、すなわちジェンダーによるものであることを発見し、生物学的・生理学的宿命論を打破した。

　第二に、性別分業の解明と性役割神話の打破である。性別役割分業こそが、女性差別の根源であるという認識のもと、性役割の構造等に関心が向けられ、近代社会の性別分業が解明された。

　第三に、性と生殖の学問化である。それまで学問の対象とされてこなかった、性と生殖の問題を学問化して、セクシュアル・ハラスメントやドメスティック・バイオレンス等の概念を創出し、また、生殖にかかわる政治や歴史の研究も切り開いた。

　女性学の視点は、人文・社会科学分野のみならず、自然科学分野にも拡大している。

［神尾真知子　2021年11月17日］

『井上輝子「女性学の創出と和光大学の試み」（『和光大学現代人間学部紀要』第4号所収・2011・和光大学現代人間学部）』▽『伊藤公雄・樹村みのり・國信潤子著『女性学・男性学　ジェンダー論入門』第3版（2019・有斐閣アルマ）』

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