Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
It was 10 p.m. and my boss and I had just walked out of our last meeting for the day. I was lightheaded with hunger, tired and fantasizing about the moment I could take off my high heels. As we walked to the closest station together, out of the blue he turned to me and asked: “So, do you make dinner for your husband every night?”
My eyes narrowed and my neocortex went on red alert. What I really wanted to say was: “How could I possibly do that? It’s 10 p.m. and I’m here. With you. Working. For the third time this week — and it’s only Thursday!” Instead, I scrounged around for a comment biting enough to (hopefully) make him think and said: “My partner works for a 'gaishikei' (foreign company). He leaves work on time and cooks for me."
Ingrained Sexism at the Office
Deeply entrenched beliefs and assumptions like this flourish in Japan’s traditionally-minded office culture. This goes for office environments across the country, where due to the cultural focus on "wa" (harmony) and "gaman" (basically, “grin and bear it”), many women go along with uncomfortable situations and remain silent, since fighting back would paradoxically make them “a troublemaker.”
Click here to read more.
© Savvy Tokyo
6 Comments
Login to comment
domtoidi
What's wrong with a wife making her husband dinner?
ozziedesigner
domtoidi = Right on !
gaijintraveller
There is nothing wrong with a wife making her husband dinner. Note that there is also nothing wrong with the husband making his wife dinner.
The point of the article is that there is something wrong with the wife having to work until 10 pm, and there is also something wrong with a husband or anyone having to work until 10 pm on a regular basis. Three times by Thursday sounds pretty regular.
Red suns
The author is too 'katai'.
talaraedokko
Actually, the question WAS stupid if not pure sexist. Can't the workaholic think of a more embracing question? She could've answered something like yes and what do you give your wife in return for her taking care of you...Or something like that.
MiceVice
How foreign white women can... I seriously doubt any of these older men in the management would care if it were an Asian woman.
But, the question that was asked of Chiara is so insensitive. Before that, it is illogical. How could anyone possible cook dinner every night even for herself/himself if they are stuck at work until 10PM?! Get home around 11PM or midnight and make dinner? I think it was the old man's habit to ask women (and most probably not any one of his male employees, ever, about any meal or housework) such a question, without even realizing how absurd it was in the situation described in the article.