This is a very personal analysis that the mayor of Osaka, third city of Japan, recently delivered in the middle of a coronavirus crisis. Since the application of the state of emergency in recent weeks in the Archipelago, the authorities recommend to the inhabitants to do their shopping less frequently and to avoid going to several, to limit as much as possible the close contacts.
However the city councilor, Ichiro Matsui, estimated Thursday that it is the men who should do the shopping, because the women "take time when they look at the products, and they hesitate between this and that", according to remarks reported by Kyodo news agency. "The men go to the items they were asked to [buy] and they leave, so I think it would be a good thing for them to shop, to avoid human contact," added the chosen.
Social media debates
Ichiro Matsui, 56, admitted afterward that her analysis may seem out of date, but said that it was true in her own family. And it triggered many reactions on social networks. His remarks are "full of prejudices about women", denounced a Twitter user, adding that there are women "quick" to the decision as men "undecided". "Does he think [customers] like to take their time?" They think of menus and prices, ”wrote another.
But other internet users approve of the mayor's remarks. " It is true. Older women in particular are always chatting, without worrying about shopping, "wrote one Internet user.
Japan not exemplary
This controversy occurs in a Japanese society which retains a traditional representation of male-female relationships. The latter are in fact mainly seen as responsible for household tasks and the education of children, even if they exercise a professional activity.
Japan was ranked 121 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2020 gender inequality index.
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