Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
In Japan, there’s not really any significant stigma attached to inter-office romances. Whether it’s a result of professional pride and responsibility being seen as extremely attractive traits by Japanese society, the country’s expected after-hours socializing with coworkers making it hard to meet people outside the job, or some combination of such factors, for generations people in Japan have been found it acceptable to find love where you work.
So it’s not too surprising that in a survey of 3,908 working men in their 20s, watchmaker Seiko found that nearly 30 percent of them have a lover in the office (15.1 percent having a coworker girlfriend, and 14 percent a coworker spouse). What is unexpected, though, is that far more of the guys are romantically involved with an older female coworker than a younger or same-age one.
Of the men who have a girlfriend or spouse who they work with, 41.3 percent said they special lady friend is older than they are. Meanwhile, only 30.1 percent have a younger girlfriend/spouse, and just 28.6 percent one who’s the same age.
The age gaps aren’t always razor-thin, either. When Seiko asked the men with older lovers how much older they were, the responses were:
● 1-3 years older: 49.6 percent
● 4-6 years older: 30.1 percent
● 6-9 years older: 11.9 percent
● 10-14 years older: 5.4 percent
● More than 15 years older: 3 percent
The survey also asked the men what attracted them to their romantic partner, and while that data wasn’t sorted by whether the woman was younger or older, “her mature atmosphere” was the overall number-two response.
● 1. Her kindness: 42.0 percent
● 2. Her mature atmosphere: 42.3 percent
● 3. She’s sweet to me: 36.9 percent
● 4. Her fashion sense: 26.7 percent
● 5. Her intelligence: 20.2 percent
Numerical youth and inexperienced innocence arguably bordering on nativity are often assumed to be Japan’s ideals of feminine desirability, but Seiko’s survey shows that love comes in all sorts of combinations, and that not every full-grown salaryman secretly wants to date a schoolgirl.
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Japanese dating site’s picture of ideally attractive woman: young, no sleeves, college education
-- Nearly half of young Japanese women say they “hate” the company they work for in survey
-- Rich and bald or handsome and poor? Survey asks Japanese women who’d they’d rather marry
© SoraNews24
20 Comments
Login to comment
Vince Black
Because the article is about relationships with female coworkers
Shipwrecker
Half of the lovers are only 1-3 years older than the man so while they are technically older, I don't think it is all that different from having a lover the same age or 1-3 years younger. My wife is two years older than me and I don't think she would appreciate it if I told her she has a "mature atmosphere."
Serrano
Let's not forget the older female co-workers have more money than the younger ones.
Madden
Not too surprising, even in their 20s Japanese girls are often immature and want to take advantage of their looks to play around with men and just have fun with the unrealistic expectation that they're destined to marry a rich supermodel and no one else will do. Older women have more realistic expectations and also willing to "settle".
Neux Reux
One has to consider the influence of the female biological clock over all these 5 attributes:
Intelligence and Fashion sense might be hard to fake, but it can also come with age.
But kindness, maturity and sweetness (1.2,3) - those can be manipulated , especially when needed.
1glenn
For both young men and women, of any nationality, there is something to be said for having an affair with a slightly older person. They know what they are doing, and can guide the younger person into the world of sexual intercourse. IMO, it is not about money, but about initiating one into the world of sex.
JJ Jetplane
This title is all wrong. What it really should say, more older women are becoming involved with younger men. Women tend to be the aggressor in Japan.
Also, since I've been in Japan. Mothers and older women tend to be the hottest looking women in Japan. They can dress, they can walk, and they have sex appeal.
goldorak
Am a bloke and know dozens of other guys (all generations) who've dated, married and/or had children with older women. Age is only an issue (both ways) if you choose to make it an issue (or if you're unlucky enough to grow up in a country/family/religious group who think they can/should control their children/younger citizens).
Arent you the bloke who not so long ago mocked macron for having an older wife? Am not pro-older women nor anti-male (lol), i just never gave a * about age nor succumbed to peer, social, religious, family pressure.
Glad you're finally seeing the light though.
mmwkdw
Why isn't "Sex" on the list ?
Sh1mon M4sada
I suspect the survey results reflects the fact most 'young', I'm so hot my $%#^ don't stink, Japanese females not only look for sexually viable partners, but also economically viable ones as well.
Whereas, men, any age, just want sexually viable partners.
Toasted Heretic
Age is no barrier to love. Some people are very obsessed with the former, though.
Maria
It's not an issue in Japan as it is in some other countries, where an irrelevant age difference of half a year - where the man is younger of course :/ because even a substantial age difference where the men are much older only sometimes raises an eyebrow - causes endless chortles.
Japan is far more mature about relationships, in this sense.
goldorak
As the saying goes 'the best soups are made in old pots'.
Men were never 'forced' to marry younger women they did so because they wanted to and/or were insecure, controlling, weak, vain and were obsessed with appearances, youthfulness etc and enjoyed/needed to be seen as the main provider. Their call.
Tom
I always dated "jukuJo" Mature women older than me in the past. But for my second wife, I ended up with a woman 15 years younger than me. Cute, fun, smart as a whip and just a pleasure to have around 99% of the time. Ager does not mean anything.
girl_in_tokyo
My partner is six years younger than I am. He knew a good thing when he saw it. ;)
JonathanJo
It's perhaps no surprise that the concept of gay relationships is not mentioned at all.