The term “shufu (main woman of the house, or housewife)” has shifted from derogatory to almost exalted.
Ten years ago, a lot of young women would rather have shot themselves in the foot than be called a “sengyo-shufu (a woman with no independent income who sticks to being a housewife),” but now surveys show many of the Shibuya-resident joshikosei (high-school girls) actually aspire to being just that.
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