Before having owned the business, Noriko was generally considered in terms of her identity as her husband's wife and a son's mother, perpetuating the social paradigm of female subordination and reduction to their domestic roles. Having her own business means that Noriko Teramoto now has a valid way to define herself in an individual and unique way.
4) Conclusions
Stringer suggests that the researcher should establish a role that is appropriate to the context of the research. The researcher's role in this case was to establish a platform of understanding with the interviewees. Clearly, a large amount of research was conducted to thoroughly establish the current business paradigm in Japan.
The article ascribes the success of Digimom workers to four different factors. The first is the choice of business -- an Internet business. The capital layout and running costs of the business are...
It is therefore easier for females to establish a business in this industry. The second success factor is the use of existing skills and strengths built up over the years. The employees within Digimom are all professional women with relevant experience. Thirdly, Noriko is maintaining a wide network of collaborations with community establishments, both in and outside the computer industry. This establishes her as a corporate citizen. Finally, Noriko has chosen an appropriate career for her gender, while at same time enabling herself and her workers to establish new worker paradigms in Japan. These success factors are important springboards for determining further research needs and business possibilities in Japan. The female workforce can contribute much to the success of the country.
