lifestyle

Group trying to win support for 'Housewives’ Day Off' to help harried homemakers

13 Comments
By Casey Baseel, RocketNews24

While Japanese schools and companies are notorious for making gruelling demands of their pupils and employees, there are at least several national holidays throughout the year which provide periodic breathers. However, the same can’t be said for housewives.

Traditionally, Japanese men did very little housework, and while that’s gradually changing, societal habits die hard. And to this day, the priority Japan places on child education means that many kids don’t do much of anything in the way of chores.

As such, in some households where the wife doesn’t work outside the home, she’s expected to do all of the cooking and cleaning, and those responsibilities only become all the more taxing if her husband and children have the day off and are hanging around the house eating and making messes all day long. So to give housewives a much-needed chance to rest and recharge, women’s interest Internet portal and magazine Living Shimbun proposes that January 25 be a Housewives’ Day Off, in which they’re not required or requested to do any housework.

Living Shimbun points to three major principles behind the proposal, calling it:

● A day on which housewives, who spend every day working so hard to handle the housework and childrearing, can relax.” ● day to make families, and Japan, happy. ● A day for husbands and children to challenge themselves and do housework.

Some will no doubt notice a potential problem with that last point, though, in that this year, January 25 falls on Wednesday, a weekday, meaning that working husbands and school-age children may have professional or scholastic responsibilities filling their schedule that day. With only so many hours in the day, they may not be able to handle the necessary cooking and cleaning duties. In that case, Housewives’ Day Off proponents propose postponing the homemaker’s day of rest to the following Saturday or Sunday.

As admirable as Living Shimbun’s sentiments are, though, Housewives’ Day Off is yet to really catch on in mainstream Japan. Although the organization has been pushing the idea since 2009, most related Internet comments made on January 25 were to the effect of “So it seems like today is supposed to be Housewives’ Day Off” or “Apparently there’s a day off for housewives.” Actually, though, Living Shimbun says there should be three Housewives’ Days Off a year, on the 25th of January, May, and September, so if it’s a custom you want to get on board with, you’ve got another chance coming up in four months.

Source: Sankei Living Shimbun

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13 Comments
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Good gesture, but most of the Japanese housewives I know would be worried sick about their families and homes and not be able to relax one iota !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

great idea! now get me some tea. I work in a traditional Japanese company and women still wear uniforms, not the men.. women are the only ones to serve tea as well..moving forward into the modern era japan!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I kind of see this as being much less effective than the two-day junior high school "work experience" programs they have: throw them in the back where they are not in the way. Most people I know, men or women, don't mind if their partner helps regularly, and often has regular 'duties', but would probably be even more 'harried' by their partner feeling he or she has to float around behind them and ask them questions all day out of obligation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Let me preface what I am about to write by saying there are a lot of great women---many of them who are single mothers and not by choice---who do the work of two or three people. These women are beautiful beyond words on a variety of levels. My comments are directed at the spolied brats who thought once they got married everyday would be like a Sunday date.

Ladies, the next time you feel oppressed because you have to do a little cooking and cleaning, remember the following points.

1.) Your husband and children spend most of their time out of the house. From the day your kiddies enter kindergarten, you will have at least six hours of freetime. You can do what you want, when you want. Your husband can only dream of such as arrangement.

2.) You do not have a schedule. When---or even "if"---you do something on a particular day is decided by you. Your husband by contrast must start and finish things at a certain time or there will be a consequence. You don't understand why your husband is so uptight because.....

3.)You do not have a boss. Probably no one---certainly not your husband---tells you to do anything, how to do it or to do it better. Your husband on the other hand has multiple bosses he must dance around.

4.) You do not have a wife who complains about EVERYTHING. I swear most Japanese women are only happy when they are miserable. Your husband comes home at night after working a job that is not fun and the minute he gets into his house it's "you're late," "you stink," "you didn't put something away," "you did this too much," "you didn't do that enough," and on and on and on.

So, the next time your are stressing about how hard it is to put clothes into a machine and pour soap into the right dispenser and push a button, remember that your husband works at least sixty hours a week and gives you all the money so he can be criticized for not helping you with your oh-so-difficult tasks.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

@sam

Issues??

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@luca. No, I just like writing comedy!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

; )

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Please post this story again before January 25, 2018. We sort of missed it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Reckless. THanks! You made my day! Have a story? If you do, share it! Maybe we men could cobble together a book or something!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

" Let me HELP you with that Honey " BOOM, there's a new member of the family. Lol.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How stupid are they. Helping housework is meaningful only when you do it of your own accord.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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