VOA文化艺术2024--Australian Filmmaker Shows Japanese Single Mothers, Children Face Poverty

Australian Filmmaker Shows Japanese Single Mothers, Children Face Poverty

　　In wealthy countries, like Japan, poverty is sometimes considered a taboo¹ subject. But an Australian filmmaker, Rionne McAvoy, wants to share the stories of women and children in poverty in Japan in his documentary film The Ones Left Behind.

　　The film was released last year. It shows single mothers raising their children in poverty. The women work hard. They sleep a few hours at night. And they try to balance working with childcare and housework.

　　McAvoy said he wanted to deal with a topic that no one wanted to discuss. The film shows discussions with poor women and experts on poverty. He said the film also shows a different side of Japanese society, where getting married and becoming a stay-at-home mother is normal for many women.

　　"In Japan, it's very taboo. I think it's a very apt title because I feel that single mothers and their children have really been left behind in society."

　　The film shows one woman who works almost twelve hours a day and earns less than $1,350 a month. That amount is low for a county where the cost of living is high. Monthly rent for one small room can cost one third of that amount.

　　Tomiko Nakayama is one of the women in the film. She said, "I have to do everything on my own." Another woman almost cries when she describes how her child stopped asking her to come to "take-your-parent-to-school" days.

　　Japan has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty although it is one of the wealthiest nations. One in seven children live in poverty in Japan. Almost half of single-parent homes are considered poor.

　　Japanese society often favors men who work full-time². Women sometimes receive lower pay and fewer benefits than their male counterparts, while working full-time and overtime³.

　　Ayuri McAvoy produced the film and is also McAvoy's wife. She was formerly⁴ a single mother. But they say that is not why they made the film.

　　Rionne McAvoy said that the country's traditional culture makes women accept their difficult lives and makes them ashamed to ask for help. He told the Associated Press that the women are "keeping their public face and private face separate."

　　Akihiko Kato is a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo. He appears in the film. Kato said that Japan does not have a system to legally force fathers to pay for their children if the parents are separated. The Japanese government has promised to give money to people with children, but this is slow to come, he said.

　　Kato said that this is partly why birth rates in Japan have been so low. There were 1.2 million births in the year 2000 compared to fewer than 800,000 births in 2022.

　　Some people believe the modern idea of the nuclear family means that single parents, mostly mothers, have to do everything on their own. People like grandparents, neighbors and extended family members no longer seem to be able to help with children.

　　Yanfei Zhou is a social science professor at Japan Women's University in Tokyo who also appears in the film. She said that these changes have serious effects on children. The divide between rich and poor is growing, and children will end up in poverty, she said.

　　The film won the Best Documentary prize at the Miyakojima Charity International Film Festival last year. It was also officially chosen for the Yokohama International Film Festival.

　　McAvoy said he has long been interested in telling the story of those who society had forgotten and who do not have a voice. He said that being on the outside of Japanese culture has helped him to share stories with a new viewpoint and without bias⁵. He said his next film will be about young people dying by suicide in Japan.

　　McAvoy said, "It's one thing we can do more of in society: to try recognize people's cries for help."

　　Words in This Story

　　taboo – n. something that is not acceptable to talk about or do

　　topic –n. the subject of writing or a discussion

　　society –n. people who live together in a large area under the same rules, traditions and values

　　apt – adj. likely to do something

　　rent – n. a regular payment for the use of property such as the use of a place to live like an apartment or home

　　ashamed – adj. feeling regret and embarrassment⁶ for what you have done

　　nuclear families – n. a family group consisting of parents and their children living in one home

　　bias – n. a tendency to support one side of an argument over another

1 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

2 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

3 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

6 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。