Wagamama and Embodied Gender Norms in Japan

Cultural Drivers of Disaster Vulnerability

Bibliographic Data

ID22431584
AuthorsPunam Yadav (0000-0002-6869-1704, University College London, corresponding author), Miwako Kitamura (0000-0002-1271-6183, Tohoku University)
Year2026
Volume17
Issue2
Pages229-239
Publication date2026-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2095-0055 • E-ISSN: 2192-6395
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s13753-026-00705-1
OpenAlexW7135236148
LanguageEN
References cited23

In the decade since the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR), there has been a growing recognition of the importance of integrating gender into disaster risk reduction (DRR). Achieving gender equality by 2030 remains a key objective of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, gender considerations are often insufficiently incorporated into policy design and implementation, with limited attention to how gendered experiences, particularly those shaped by deep-rooted cultural norms and social practices, influence people’s vulnerability, resilience, and recovery in disasters. This article examines how embodied gendered norms in Japan, especially those associated with women’s self-restraint and fear of being labelled Wagamama , exacerbate their vulnerability during disasters. Drawing on feminist scholarship and published testimonies from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, we argue that these unspoken and embodied social norms, particularly those structured around Wagamama and expectations of self-restraint, disproportionately constrain women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and persons with disabilities, heightening their vulnerability during disasters. By shaping perceptions of roles, entitlements, and appropriate behavior, these norms operate as powerful mechanisms of social regulation that influence both exposure to risk and access to support in disasters. Recognizing these mechanisms is crucial for developing culturally grounded and truly inclusive DRR policies and programs.

Disaster risk reduction · Embodied cognition · Poison control · Scholarship · Social vulnerability · Sustainable development · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Social Work Education and Practice

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