The Double Bind of Representation: Gender, Harassment, and Political Inclusion in Japanese Local Assemblies

Local assemblies, while serving as potential entry points into politics for women and minorities, are often shaped by patriarchal norms and entrenched power structures. This study investigates the dual nature of these institutions in Japan by examining the forms and causes of harassment experienced by newly elected local council members. Drawing on interviews with nearly 100 members conducted between 2020 and 2024, the analysis reveals that harassment is gendered: while women are disproportionately targeted—particularly through sexual harassment—new male members also experience hostility, often linked to normative expectations of masculinity and the hierarchical, male homosocial culture of local politics. These findings underscore how gendered political norms continue to structure the experiences of newcomers in local governance.

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About the speaker:

Ki-young Shin is Professor of Political Science and Gender Studies at Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, and a visiting scholar at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University. Her research focuses on women’s political representation, gender quotas, and gender politics, including the #MeToo movement in East Asia. She has published extensively in leading international journals such as International Political Science Review, Politics & Gender, Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, and Pacific Affairs, as well as in numerous Korean and Japanese academic journals. In 2018, she co-founded the Academy for Gender Parity, which trains young women for political leadership. A recipient of Best Paper Awards from the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and the Western Political Science Association (WPSA), she is currently co-authoring a book on gendered labor in the life insurance industry.