We Are Not Ikumen, We Are Self-Reliant Househusbands Crafting a Stay-at-Home Father Identity in Japan

The participation of fathers in parenting and care has become a topical issue in public discourse in Japan. The phenomenon is often epitomized in the popular neologism ikumen,defining fathers actively involved in childcare (ikuji)as“cool” men. On the basis of an extended ethnography, the article focuses on a group of men who reject the ostensibly carefree ikumen image and who explicitly and “proactively” (shutaiteki) define themselves as “househusbands.” The article explores the interactive and creative process through which this marginal group of men “crafts” their new identities as self-reliant, responsible caretakers of children and the home. I suggest that these men affirm their potentially new masculine identity through relating to—and differentiating themselves from— three symbolic others: the ikumen, the trendy and cool but not really committed new father; the sarariiman, the epitome of Japanese hegemonic masculinity; and the dedicated housewife (sengyō shufu), the symbol of Japanese femininity. Adopting a perspective that does not hesitate to look at the potential of change in gender relations, the article poses crucial questions about the potential househusbands have to undo conventional understandings of masculinity and fathering—and, through this, “undo gender.”.