Shattering Gender Roles in Japan featuring Shu Matsuo Post And Then Everything Changed

Gender equality advocate and author of the book I Took Her Name, Shu Matsuo Post grew up in a very patriarchal society. Through Japanese media and at school he grew to understand what was expected of him as a man. He didn’t learn about feminism and gender equality until he met his wife who helped him grasp what being a feminist meant. She didn’t want to take his last name so when they got married they combined their last names, but in Japan where they now live that isn’t recognized so, he decided to take her name. As his worldview became more and more feminist he noticed all the ways sexism affects life in Japan, from the language to the absence of paternity leave. In this episode Shu shares the story of becoming a full-fledged feminist, his views on toxic masculinity, and what changes he’s pushing for in Japan.