Although Japanese geishas have not traded their traditional dancing for the flying kicks of martial arts, the title of Veronica Chambers' newest book, Kickboxing Geishas, describes the changing roles of Japanese women in modern society.
Chambers, a freelance writer, visited the Penn Bookstore last evening, where she spoke to a small, intimate audience.
After reading several passages from her book, Chambers answered questions from the audience concerning her experiences in Japan.
In the book, Chambers discussed the transformation of Japanese women from housewives to bold and worldly individuals.
The book also reflects the impact of these changing gender roles on the structure of Japanese society.
As Japanese women build their own companies and hire women in their businesses, they are less dependent on their spouses than ever before. This independence has been associated with the increasing numbers of single women in Japan.
In addition, divorce rates have increased in every generation. A new term, "Mature-age divorce," has been coined as a result of this new development.
"I think for the guys, it must be very bewildering what's happening to the women," Chambers said of the increasing number of divorces.
She added that "the birth rate is a constant concern. There is very little day care. If women have children, they have to stay home and give up their jobs."
Chambers, who first visited Japan in 2001, became captivated by the Japanese women during her three-month-long stay as part of a fellowship program. She visited Japan several more times throughout the past four years, conducting interviews throughout the country for the book.
Several Penn students were among the audience, including College junior Stephanie Guy, who was trying to learn more about her Japanese heritage.
"I was introduced to Japanese culture last year. I thought it was a really interesting perspective, considering [she] isn't Japanese," Guy said.
Ted Choi, who is a student in Penn's English Program, said, "The classroom lecture topic was about Japanese women, so I came because it's related to our topic."
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