Feminism in Ichiyo

I believe the female character Oseki in “The Thirteenth Night” by Higuchi Ichiyo represents the life and treatment of women in society at the time. Ichiyo lived during the Meiji era, where women were constantly exploited and had no legal rights or power. Women were under the influence of the man of the household and were limited to mundane responsibilities. The women would work at overcrowded factories under very poor and unhygienic conditions. When at home there were more jobs such as keeping the family fed, clean and clothed, including the elderly, as well as managing household finances. Women were expected to be uneducated and could not partake in politics, making it difficult to navigate through the systems of power.