•Hostessing in Japan: 3 pros and 3 cons

New York Times recently published an article describing the new and booming job opportunity of hostessing in Japan (“Young Japanese Women Vie for a Once-Scorned Job”).  Given the lack of employment for young women in the economic downturn, many of them have turned to hostessing as an option, and sometimes even a career goal.  The articles notes that in a 2009 survey of 1,154 high school girls, “hostessing ranked No. 12 out of the 40 most popular professions, ahead of public servant (18) and nurse (22).”

Hostessing does not mean prostitution; however, the pressures to have sex with their clients do exist.  Hostesses tend to drinks, offer conversation and flirtatious talks, and entertainment in general.  Oftentimes, they would go on off-site dates with their clients.  Though sex isn’t in the package, “special perks” are.

For a country where “almost 70 percent of women ages 20 to 24 worked jobs with few benefits and little job security”, hostessing provides financial stability, especially for women without college degrees.  These women are paid from anywhere between $100,000 and $300,000 a year at these kyabakura (cabaret clubs), all dependent on the popularity of the hostess.

So the question comes down to: does hostessing help or hurt the position of women in Japanese society?

Critics:

• Emphasizes women’s role as an “object” of desire
• Reinforces a gender-bias in Japanese society by attributing high “value” to a low status position
• Avoids the problem of massive gender inequality in education, politics, employment and other sectors

Proponents:

• Encourages financial ascendancy for women otherwise pigeon-holed to low-paying or temp jobs
• Creates external opportunities post-hostessing, such as book deals and tutorials
• Follows a similar trajectory as “acting”, which was regarded as a lowly and promiscuous job in previous generations, before becoming acceptable in recent times

So, all being said, do you think “hostessing” is good or bad?