Popular interest in sociologist Chizuko Ueno appears to be picking up once again after her speech at the University of Tokyo¡¯s entrance ceremony last April became the talk of the town. In it, she exposed the structural discrimination in Japanese society by noting, ¡°Society that does not reward you, no matter how great efforts you may make, awaits you¡± ¡ª became the talk of the town.
Ueno has since appeared on a TV program in which she engaged in a dialogue with younger women and she gave several media interviews. In a recent article in Seventeen magazine, which is aimed at teenagers, she gave advice to junior high and high school girls about their adolescent problems.
Born in 1949, Ueno has been a driving force of feminism in this country. As a sociologist, she was the first in Japan to launch women¡¯s studies. Each time she triggered one of the various booms she created, Ueno offered stimulus to multiple generations of women. Through the years, Ueno herself has not changed a bit ¡ª although society has changed a lot.
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