“Jealous?” -Hua Hin, 2009
I’ve just listened to a radio documentary on NHK (NHK Journal, at 10 p.m. GMT+9, on 11 March 2010). It featured female college students who prefer to become homemakers than in career.
My sister, who will get Master’s this month, also is like, “I want to be a housewife!”
Is this the comeback of “good old days”? Men out, women in?
Or is it an escapism? But I can’t blame them either. I should blame the government for not allowing women to shine at work and in private life.
According to the experts interviewed in the programme, the students cannot picture themselves being super working women they see. Most of working women they see work under tough conditions: work outside and household chores. Sure, that’s double work. Women started to work outside home, but men did not start to work inside home.
Of course this theory does not go with every single person in Japan. But these students see no working woman who is exceptional.
The word “syokugyo fujin,” or “working woman,” was so admired decades ago. Now these students see that it’s a complete myth. Working women who went through the bubble economy and other economic crises, hardly talk good things about work. After all, work and home for them was a simple juggling. It was not integrated completely into one life style.
Anyway, I wonder how these students will be in future. Even if they will be happy homemakers, their partners may be fired in an instant. And then? I wonder if they think of such a thing, but it’s happening everywhere I see now.
