Television series as spaces for negotiation of femininity, masculinity, and social expectations in contemporary Japan

Abstract

This article analyzes the hegemonic discourses about femininity and masculinity, social expecta-tions, and social assessment of individuals accord-ing to their marital status, focusing the attention on the social pressure put upon single and childfree individuals in contemporary Japan. From the perspective of the cultural studies, considering the public social discourses that relate femininity and masculinity with marriage and motherhood/ fatherhood, and the interpretative textual analysis of a sample of television series, the dominant ideas circulating in Japan about these people are discus-sed. It is argued the possibility of them finding in these television contents a platform to negotiate with society and defend their life trajectories and to reject the labels that have been imposed on them.