Social media has been buzzing about the results of a survey released this week by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The survey was carried out last March among men and women, both single and married, between the ages of 15 and 39. The results that provoked the most discussion had to do with attitudes toward marriage, or, more precisely, a woman's role in a marriage.
When asked if they want to be full-time homemakers, 34.2 percent of the female respondents said "yes" or "probably." And while more women, 38.5 percent to be exact, said they didn't want to be homemakers, the portion who said they did was apparently higher than people expected, especially now that the government is pushing an agenda to make it easier for women to join the workforce and contribute more directly to the economy.
Some people are saying that these results indicate a regressive attitude among women, but it's impossible to say from the results that the women who want to be homemakers are being guided by some kind of cultural gender identification.