How far is poverty from us? In today's economic downturn, it may be very close.
This book is an interview-based documentary published in 2019, collecting the stories of a dozen women living in poverty, told in their own words. Five years later, I belatedly realize these real-life cases of poverty, and I wonder whether the individuals featured in the book are still alive and whether their lives have improved.
There are many factors that contribute to poverty, such as family background, education, marital status, health, and social welfare. In this book, you can see the struggles of women in a society with an inadequate safety net and a deeply ingrained preference for sons over daughters.
While education can certainly change one's destiny and improve living conditions, this is based on the premise of a student life without economic burdens. In Japan, many academically excellent and hardworking university students face heavy financial pressure in order to afford their education. The low wages they receive for part-time jobs leave them overwhelmed, sacrificing all their time in exchange for meager pay, leaving them with little time to focus on their studies. Some are even forced to sell their bodies, with tragic consequences. These young women, originally aiming to pursue their studies and gain more time for learning and university life, end up losing their way, spiraling into despair.
There are numerous reasons that can lead to poverty for women—an abusive father, a mother with a serious illness, poor decisions, failed marriages, or even career choices. These circumstances can easily lead them down an irreversible path. They are led by fate, step by step, toward the abyss of poverty.
If the first five chapters may seem distant to those of us born into middle-class families, who have received good education and hold decent jobs, the troubles of these women are ones we don't need to worry about from the moment we are born. However, Chapter 6, the story of Ms. Kawakami, is something that could happen to any of us. She had a degree, a job, savings, and solid financial stability, but she made a misjudgment in her future planning when caring for her chronically ill sister. She spent enormous amounts of time and money, which ultimately led her to poverty. A long-term illness of a loved one—whether a child, a spouse, or a parent—is a random event in life, one that could happen to anyone you love. Without careful planning or a robust social welfare system, it could drag you into a hopeless situation.
Throughout history, women with kindness, strong sense of responsibility, and ambition have been praised. Yet tragically, the women portrayed in this book fell into financial ruin because of these very qualities. Ms. Ikawa, a graduate of the University of Tokyo, was a high achiever who, in order to keep her job, used her maiden name and went through a fake divorce, which unfortunately turned into a real divorce. Her ex-husband abandoned her and their three children. Although she had the academic qualifications to support herself, she encountered workplace bullying, which damaged her health and left her with a disability. Losing her health meant losing her ability to live a normal life. In Japan, people receiving disability benefits are disqualified from receiving child support benefits, as policymakers believe that disabled individuals cannot raise children. How many people with disabilities are deprived of their right to be parents? A disabled person who has suffered from life’s hardships struggles to survive in a harsh society, only to have their family torn apart—how helpless is that?
Some women who were born into privileged families, graduated from prestigious universities, and had a comfortable middle-class marriage have found themselves in financial ruin due to divorce, workplace bullying, or the responsibility of caring for a family member. These stories are chilling to read. In a country with an inadequate welfare system, seeing them, I almost feel like I am looking at my own future.
Hard work does not necessarily lead to success; a high education does not guarantee a good job. A life spent running in circles leads only to more busy days ahead. Women struggling with poverty do everything they can to support the next generation, but all they receive is deeper poverty, passed down through the generations. This is the reality in Japan, where the economy has been sluggish for over twenty years. To make matters worse, government policies designed to support small businesses have actually exploited the poor. Society adheres to a "spend the least money to achieve the greatest effect" business model, pushing one after another of the impoverished into low-wage, informal employment.
The "official poverty workforce" emerged during Junichiro Koizumi's era. Municipal subsidies were reduced, and government agencies began hiring a large number of informal workers. These workers appeared to be serving the government, but they lacked stable positions or insurance, earning meager wages, living paycheck to paycheck. The caregiving sector, one that is in high demand by the government, is a disaster area for informal employees. Society needs these workers, but taking care of the elderly generates no commercial value, so the government offers little financial assistance. Since the pay is low and labor demand is high, wages are driven even lower. The majority of desperate, impoverished women seek help from the government, only to be pushed into these low-paid, low-benefit industries. Female workers in the caregiving sector are especially numerous. The government and corporations exploit the kindness, trust, responsibility, and sense of duty of these women, pushing them into caregiving jobs, where they work tirelessly for very little pay. This has created a large group of women in society who are both overworked and underpaid, struggling every day on the brink of survival.
The Pareto principle suggests that 20% of the population owns 80% of the wealth, but BBC fact-checking reveals that 80% of the wealth is actually controlled by just 1% of the population. While this comparison may not be entirely scientific, the widening gap between rich and poor, and the increasing rigidity of social classes, is an undeniable fact. Before the French Revolution, society was one where laborers worked tirelessly but still could not afford enough to eat. How far are we from that era?
贫困离我们有多远?在经济低迷的今天,也许非常近。
本书是采访纪实类书籍,出版于2019年,收集了十几位贫困女性亲口讲述的故事。5年后的我才后知后觉了解到这些真实的贫困案例,不知书中的参访对象是否依然健在,她们的生活是否有改善。
导致贫困的诱因有很多,比如家庭出身、教育背景、婚姻状况、健康条件、社会福利。在这本书里,你可以看到一个保障不健全、重男轻女社会里女性的苦苦挣扎。
学历固然可以改变命运,改善生活,但是那是以没有经济负担的求学生活为前提的。日本有一大堆成绩优异努力学习的大学生为求学负担繁重的经济压力,低廉的佣工价格让她们忙的焦头烂额,牺牲一切时间交换微薄的报酬,根本没有足够的时间专注学业。于是有一些人不得不选择卖身,卖身的代价是惨重的,花季少女丧失了恋爱的权利,有的甚至精神崩溃而退学,终身没有希望摆脱贫困。她们的初衷是求学,是为了有更多学习和大学生活的时间,到头来本末倒置,滑进深渊。
导致女孩子贫困的原因太多太懂,暴力的父亲、重病的母亲、错误的决定、失败的婚姻、甚至职业选择都可以轻而易举地把她们带入不归路,她们被命运牵着走,一步一步走向贫困深渊。
如果说前五章的内容对于出生中产、接受过良好教育并且有很好工作的我们来说十分遥远,她们的烦恼在我们的投胎之日就不用担心了。第六章川上女士的遭遇是我们每一个人都可能遇到的,她本来有学历,有工作,有存款,有充足的经济实力,为照料长期患病的���姐而错误估计了未来,耗费了大量心力和金钱,最终走向贫困。常年患病的姐姐是一个人生的偶然,它可以是你身边深爱的任何人:孩子、丈夫、父母,这偶然在没有缜密规划没有国家福利拖底的情况下也许可以把你拽入万劫不复之地。
自古以来善良、责任感强和上进的女性备受赞扬,然而让人心酸的是书中描写的这些女性恰恰是因为具有这些品质才一步步陷入财务困境的。井川女士是东京大学毕业的高材生,她为了工作可以用自己婚前的姓氏而假离婚,不巧闹成了真离婚,前夫抛下了她和三个孩子。本来可以靠自己过硬的实力养活自己不巧却遇到了职场霸凌,搞垮了身体,落下了残疾,失去健康则失去了正常生活的能力。日本规定领取了残疾人救助金,就不能领取儿童抚育金,因为政策的制定者认定残疾人无法抚养儿童。有多少罹患残疾的人在被剥夺着自己最后为人母的权利?一个惨遭生活暴击的残疾人在一个残酷的社会中求生,还要因此家庭被拆散,这时何等的无力。
原生家境优渥、名校毕业、中产偏上的婚姻生活的一些女性因为离婚、职场霸凌、看护家人而沦落至贫困的生活窘境。这些故事读来不禁让人感到脊背发凉,在一个福利机制不健全的国家,看到她们,我就仿佛看到了明天的自己。
努力不代表会成功,高学历不代表会得到好工作,每天疲于奔命的生活换来的是更加忙碌的明天,贫病交加的女性们极尽所能为下一代提供支持,换来的是一代比一代的贫困。这就是经济低迷二十几年的日本的现状,雪上加霜的是政府层面扶植小型企业却压榨贫困人群的政策法规。社会秉持着“花最少的钱,达到最大效果的”商业理念,把一个一个贫困者往低薪非正式员工里推。
“官职穷忙族”发展于小泉纯一郎时代,日本地方自治体补助金被削减,于是政府机构开始聘用大量非正式员工。由于非正式化,这些员工看似在给政府做事,却没有稳定编制与保险,薪资微薄,过得朝不保夕。看护行业就是政府大量需要的非正式员工的重灾区,社会需要这些人,然而看护老人是不会产生商业价值的,政府不会给予更多经济上的援助。既然钱少,需要的劳动力多,那么只能压低劳动力价格。绝大多数走投无路的贫困女性向政府求助,就是被政府推向这些低薪低保障的行业,看护行业女性尤其多。政府与财团利用劳动力的善良与信任,责任与义务感把她们大量推入看护行业,于是社会上多了又忙又收入极少的女性群体每天在生死线上挣扎。
帕雷托原理揭示了20%的人口拥有80%的财富,然而BBC事实查核的是80%的财富被捏在了1%的人口手里。这么比较不慎科学,但是贫富差距日益扩大,阶级固化日益严重是不争的事实。法国大革命之前的社会,是一个劳动者疲于奔命也无法正常生活填饱肚子的时代。我们离那个时代还有多远?