Three female high school students under the name 食堂 プロジェクト (“Cafeteria Project”) launched a petition asking convenience store chain Family Mart to change the name of their “Mom’s Diner” (お母さん食堂) product line, saying the name promotes gender inequality and stereotypes about mothers.
The students were inspired to start the petition after attending a seminar on gender equality in the summer of 2019. They hail from different prefectures, but all are members of Girl Scouts of Japan, which has been a staunch and vocal supporter of the group’s work. (As we’ve discussed before, Girl Scouts Japan has done a lot of work collecting data regarding gender inequality in the country.)
The petition itself isn’t a poorly written, knee-jerk response. It references past surveys on gender and housework and makes compelling arguments on the effect gender-biased expressions have on young children. The leader of the Cafeteria Project, a 3rd-year student, said she believes the name “Mom’s Diner” encourages “unconscious bias” towards women:
『お母さん＝料理』というイメージを変え、世の中のお母さんの負担を減らしたい。性別によって役割が決まったり、何かを諦めたりしなければいけない社会は嫌なんです。
“I want to change the image of “mothers = cooking” and alleviate the burdens on mothers the world over. I don’t want to live in a society where roles are determined by gender, or where women have to give up something.”
Earlier this year, Cafeteria Project conducted a survey polling possible new names to replace “Mom’s Diner” — ｢ふるさと食堂｣ (“Hometown Diner”) was the most popular alternative. The group then sent a letter to Family Mart asking for a name change. When they received no response from Family Mart, they reconsidered their strategy and started the online petition at the end of October, networking and using social media to bring awareness to their cause. This time, Family Mart responded with a public statement that basically said “we respect what you’re doing, but we don’t know if we’ll take you seriously.”
The current campaign is reminiscent of many other recent gender-related campaigns in Japan, such as Ishikiawa Yumi’s #KuToo campaign against pumps in the workplace.
“It’s Just a Name” – A Step Forward or Exaggeration?
Even some non-Japanese Twitter users who voiced support for the petition have been attacked with accusations that they're attempting to destroy Japanese family values. Click To TweetNews of the petition drew a variety of responses online, running the gamut from full-fledged support to cries of censorship and exaggeration. The official Girl Scouts of Japan Twitter account shared the petition, and many users were quick to point out the irony in the Girl Scouts tweeting about gender-biased expressions. Others pointed out how the petition seemed to demonize women who do cook or raise children because they promoted traditional gender norms and bias. Business Insider writer Takeshita Ikuko has also taken some flack for her report on the issue. The attack on her feminist views has also unfortunately colored many people’s opinion on the petition and the students themselves. Even some non-Japanese Twitter users who voiced support for the petition have been subject to angry attacks and accusations of attempting to destroy Japanese family values.
Others, however, thought changing the name was a step in the right direction in promoting gender equality. One Twitter user posted, “We should consider how much stereotypes have deprived women of their dreams and restricted their mobility since girlhood.” Nico Nico News also collected some positive responses; one comment was, “This name has always rubbed me the wrong way. In my family, my father did all the cooking. [The idea of] “women = cooking” is outdated.”
The petition closed on December 31 with 7,576 signatures. Whether or not Family Mart will rebrand remains to be seen. Still, it’s encouraging to see younger generations drawing attention to deep-rooted gender issues in Japanese society.
If you’re curious about the group’s progress, you can check out their official Twitter here.
