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Sex and poverty don’t mix, says Spa! (June 10). That’s a grim fact of life for the growing ranks of the “working poor.” The spreading “income gap,” itself a relatively new phenomenon in a country that has long prided itself on rising prosperity equally shared, is producing a “sex gap.”
Surveying 300 men aged 25-39 earning 2 million yen a year or less, Spa! finds 65% of them dissatisfied with their sex lives, and 15.7% satisfied. What of the rest? Nearly one in five -- 19.3% -- has simply given up on sex, claiming to have no interest in it.
That helps explain why more than 20% of the respondents are still virgins. It’s a problem with implications beyond their individual fates. Japan’s population is aging and shrinking; its birthrate is among the lowest in the world. “Men who give up on love,” says Spa!, “put the human race at risk.” Hyperbole? Perhaps, but gynecologist Tsuneo Akaeda, director of the Akaeda Roppongi Clinic, seems on the same wavelength when he exclaims to the magazine, “The low birthrate problem is a freeter problem.”
Freeters are the estimated 3 million people who found themselves locked out of normal full-time employment by the hiring freeze of the recession-bound 1990s. Many are now into their 30s, still struggling to survive on part-time or temporary employment. It’s a hand-to-mouth existence, stripped of luxuries. For them, sex is a luxury.
“Give these young people stable employment,” says Akaeda, “and you’d solve the birthrate problem.”
One amenity a steady job affords is a place of one’s own. Some 78.7% of Spa!’s respondents live with their parents. Sex is hard with mom and dad in the next room. There are love hotels, of course, but who can afford them on 2 million yen a year? Even ordinary dating becomes difficult at that economic level. Nowadays working women don’t mind paying their share but, says Spa!, it takes a certain polished masculine swagger to propose this arrangement without losing face, and the men in question aren’t socially experienced enough to pull it off. “I can’t ask a woman to pay,” is a typical comment. So they stay home instead.
There’s a tragicomic misunderstanding at work here. “Lately,” the magazine explains, “career women actually tend to favor freeters. Unlike male full-time company employees, freeters are not too overwhelmed with work to be available when they’re wanted. And with men who don’t make much money, there’s not the constant worry that they may be playing around when your back is turned.”
No, their “playing around” is largely confined to solitary relief. What with Internet porn sites and a proliferating “adult video” output, a man can comfortably (and economically) finesse the hormonal promptings that in normal circumstances drive him to seek female company. This masturbatory surge has Dr Akaeda worried. “An increasing number of men who indulge in immoderate and continual masturbation,” he says, “suffer a diminished ability to ejaculate with a live sexual partner.”
Economist Takashi Kadokura has an interesting if cynical suggestion: “sex volunteers.” “There are sex volunteers for the elderly and for the handicapped,” he says. “Why not for the working poor as well?”
© Japan Today
36 Comments
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Wottock_Hunt
Pish and tish. I've been tugging like a champ for twenty-five years and it's done me no harm.
Anyway, I've just got to shave my palms, then I'm off to work.
rjd_jr
No, their “playing around” is largely confined to solitary relief. What with Internet porn sites and a proliferating “adult video” output, a man can comfortably (and economically) finesse the hormonal promptings that in normal circumstances drive him to seek female company. This masturbatory surge has Dr Akaeda worried. “An increasing number of men who indulge in immoderate and continual masturbation,” he says, “suffer a diminished ability to ejaculate with a live sexual partner.”
Nothing wrong with this
Triple888
The article is just stating the blantly obvious. Sex, money and power go well together - strictly, these three only.
Betting
Japan is a pretty crowded place, so that is one good side-effect of this problem. But from the emotional side, it doesn't look like anything good will come out of this though.
inakajin01
Sex becoming a luxury for working poor?
It's even more of a luxury for the non-working poor.
citykids
Like the old song went, "No romance without finance!"
jerseyboy
Does Japan really want guys in their 30's: still living with mommie; making less than JPY 2.0 million a year; and, 20% of which are still virgins, having kids? I honestly think increased immigration starts to look awfully good.
nigelboy
It's "Spa!". Those who quote Spa's figures as if it actually conducted surveys really needs to get a clue. But then again, we are talking about the same idiot who is known to be clueless afterall.
jerseyboy
nigelboy...very witty. But the only "clueless" person here is you if you don't think such guys exist in large numbers here. The goverenment's own statistics say that there are millions of freeters -- with the number growing every year.
But, for the record, I quoted one figure. And, oh, I was being sarcastic. But I guess you missed that. You were too busy trying to be witty. But, even so, you can't refute my main point, or the article's -- that Japan has thousands and thousands of these under-employed, little mommie's boys. And who really wants losers like that having kids anyway?
Hughgarse
no money no honey
Altria
Where do I sign up?!
GW
The J-pop was on its way down well before this whole freeter thing, the freeters are just one more problem Jpn is doing a piss poor job dealing with, add them to the psychos, the stressed out, yr run of the mill salary-dude etc etc, its all heading in the wrong direction
Xinef
Altria, are you this interested in elderly and handicapped ?
Jokes appart, this is the first time I hear about "sex volunteers"... Is this a Japanese exclusivity ? There are really weird concepts sometimes :/
Sarge
Heck, I can have wild sex at McDonald's anytime!
jerseyboy
nigelboy...Why don't you read the latest JT update on Kato -- the knife-killer -- and tell me again how far off Spa is? His rants; "Oh, poor me, I'm ugly, so girls don't want me" and "I'm over 25, so therefore I cannot get a woman", are excatly what this article is about. Now if Spa could just suggest some positive ways to deal with these losers.
tkoind2
Sex volunteers? Just who are they planning to do this work? Japan is becoming an experiment in disfunction. Why not put sex workers on the national payroll? And even offer big bonus money for having them decide to give birth. Turn the kids over to corporate worker farms and build a master race of tax paying salarymen. Or...
We could try to assure real jobs and incomes to allow people to develop more balanced fulfilled lives. But that would be sensible and we rarely see sensible solutions here.
BBLeo
Yes, sex is entertainment and pleasure for hard working people. If they don't earn big money, they can't go going out every day to cinema, night clubs, and just watching TV at home, than what else they can do. Prime for such people is dinner, a little of TV and than to bed to involve with sexsomnia, and to sleep. Young generation doesn’t like to work, but they love sex, drugs alcohol and jail after committing an offence. Sure they don't like to get married. Who will be so crassly to take responsibility in such bad times? You are on the job today and tomorrow on the street! (In Australia at least) The world is changing and heading towards the end. Once that will come than we will be all free for ever it is a shame that the young generation are destroying, for what we work so hard. Wars are participants to global ending. In Australia we have the same problem with young people as in Japan and around the world. They like to stay at home at least until they are 30 - 35, they get married and their matrimonial will be around for about 6 month, and if they stay married over six month, have couple of children, and later they go their own way. But the problem is not for single Mum, as our 'Centrelink' is taking good care of them, and due to that pensioners are neglected. A single Mum will get better money from 'Centrelink' than if she is working.
BBLeo
Just to inform you, that in Australia you can get $A 5,000 (It is called 'Baby Bonus' or we can call it 'Sex Bonus'), for each new born child. We are trying to build bigger population, but immigration is restricted to increase population their way. Does Japan pay you get get birth of a child? If not than you should make a request from your 'Lawmakers.!You have ageing population the same as Australia. Hurry up!
larguero
This article, though interesting, contradicts data about births: the richer the area is, the lower the birth rate. This is an international, regional and local phenomenon. Maybe they have less sexual satisfaction, but they surely have more babies.
nigelboy
Yes. Proving that again, JT is your ONLY source of information on Japan.
And yes. Most psycho's anywhere in the world have issues with women. (or lack of) Care to add something new? Or should I post the article headlines of this week's SPA!?
TPOJ
Men...at least non-womanizing men...don't really go after women unless they feel strong in themselves. Occasionally they might take a stab at it, but the low confidence that comes with low job prospects pretty much hurts that one. Underemployment pretty much guarantees a lack of scoring/girlfriend.
But...
“Give these young people stable employment,” says Akaeda, “and you’d solve the birthrate problem.”
Yeah, because the wealthier one is, the more kids they have.
/sarcasm
capone
no money, no honey..it's pretty simple
1proudamerican
300 men 25-39 at a 20%rate say there virgins. WOW THATS INCREDIBLE how can they even say that with a stright face. 3 million freeters mostly in there 30s WOW thats A LOT OF PORN.im in the wrong biz.
Orangeporange
This is the real problem;
This masturbatory surge has Dr Akaeda worried. “An increasing number of men who indulge in immoderate and continual masturbation,” he says, “suffer a diminished ability to ejaculate with a live sexual partner.”
Lots of Japanese guys are OBSESSED with masterbation...from a girls perspective here, I have met LOTS of Japanese single men who would happily talk about the different ways they wanked off a day...but when they even had the chance to "get some" from a real woman, their equipment wouldn't even begin function. This happened with a couple of my Japanese ex-boyfriends, and they were in their early 20s. Did not exactly make a very good impression on me to say the least!
ca1ic0cat
Sarge, what the heck are you doing with Ronald at McD's? The mind boggles!
I think that worrying about sex as government policy is really just treating the symptom and not the problems. People who are exhausted and stressed from overwork and being underpaid are going to go home and sleep!
pathat
If you are living with Mommy and Daddy and do not have to pay rent etc., then you have a reasonable amount of disposable income, even on 2 million yen or so a year.
nandakandamanda
Sex would be a luxury for me too.
bamboohat
I don't believe it. There's more to it. I saw an old student of mine not too long ago. About 20, 21. No Job. Still lives at home. Proudly told me he got it on with his GF at some park after dark. I think the deeper issue is whatever it is that kept those freeters (what does that mean, anyways?) from securing decent jobs is also keeping them from securing decent companionship. I don't think its one causing the other, its something else entirely causing both. You solve THAT problem, and you boost the economy, AND boost the birthrate.
KitsuneYoukai
I'm speechless! SO des this mean I have no chance in Japan????
doedel
Even when driven 'to seek fe/male company', one disturbing factor is that in daily life, there are too few chances for approaching. Mp3 players keep the ears occupied, staring at teh keitai the eyes.
Axelred
`none sence ... every body with a Brain , know thats poverty and sex have always be hand to hand since the beguining of time !!!
What SPA know about sex ? really ..lol !!
ultradodgy
Poor people don't have sex? We are supposed to believe this why?
hudagree
Affirms that money is a tool for healthy lifestyle including time with the lady (ladies). Ecom 101 as I remember.
malekr25
Interesting study.
In the context of developing countries, you can find people with poor income are making more kids...On the other hand, the better income people are making less kids. I think the second proposition is also true for developed societies...How Mr. Akaeda`s suggestion (Give these young people stable employment,” says Akaeda, “and you’d solve the birthrate problem) could be justified? Are empirical evidences enough?