The hikikomori phenomenon in Japan: A deeper look at the socioeconomic and gendered layers

Hikikomori, a psychosocial condition that requires social solutions, is characterized as a specific type of acute social withdrawal that is resistant to medical interventions. Incorporating hikikomori within the social sciences, this thesis not only challenges the widely held belief that it predominantly impacts males, but also emphasizes the significant role of primarily middle-class hikikomori on the future of the largely homogenous Japanese middle class. By focusing on the underrepresented population of female hikikomori, this thesis makes a notable contribution to the limited body of non-medical, qualitative, and feminist literature on the subject. This thesis primarily seeks to investigate, "How have socioeconomic and gendered aspects shaping hikikomori and its media portrayal evolved over the decades and resurfaced within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?" It does this by employing a framework that combines social constructionism and contextual constructionism. The thesis also aims to affirm the contextuality of hikikomori, as well as its gendered and socioeconomic aspects, within the parameters of pandemic and voluntary lockdowns, as reported in major Japanese newspapers, Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun from the mid-2020s to the mid-2024s, using purposive sampling. The thesis reveals a twofold bias, encompassing both the gross underestimation of the number of female hikikomori and the struggles faced by mothers caring for hikikomori children, highlighting the excessive strain placed on motherhood in Japanese society. Finally, the thesis advocates for a reevaluation and more comprehensive, multi-faceted, and impartial research on the gender aspect of the phenomenon.