As counter to yesterday’s “wifely contract,” here’s a story of wives in control. So, woman readers, do you do this in your marriage? And men, do you know what your wives are doing with the household money? Are you sure?
Japanese housewives amassing secret fortunes
TOKYO (AFP) – Nearly half of Japan’s housewives keep money secret from their husbands and most of them doubt their spouses have any idea about it, a survey found, showing women’s hold the purse strings here.
About 46 percent of housewives said they had secret funds, with the sum averaging 2.41 million yen (20,000 dollars), according to a survey of 500 wives in salary-earning households by Sompo Japan DIY Life Insurance.
The hidden savings seem to be accumulating with time, as the average sum was four million yen for housewives in their 50s, nearly three times as much as the 1.46 million yen for those in their 20s.
On the other hand, 76 percent of the women believe their husbands keep no such secret money.
Even those who suspect their husbands have funds they don’t know about estimate the sum at a modest 364,000 yen.
“After all, most wives believe their husbands have no secret assets and they have a grip on their family purse strings,” the life insurer said.
Well, we know American women don’t do this because Americans don’t save, period.
speak for yourself pally! i keep my spare change in a big jar on my kitchen counter!
besides, i just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to …
hahahahahahahahahaha!
Here’s another case where people just don’t understand the Japanese. Women are in Japan aren’t wives as much as they are Mommy’s, even to their husbands. Most women handle all the money in the house, even if they do not work. Most married men get an allowance of sorts from their wifes. They probably don’t know what is being spent on what…
Oh this is NOT something new even if the modern Japanese culture
is changing ! Many modern Japanese young women are still of
very traditional family teachings and carry that into marriage even
with Americans. They make great financial officers, and if you are an
irresponsible bachelor…your Japanese wife could do more for you
than any banker ! Already my soon to arrive Japanese fiance’ has
already made a bid on the position of ” Family Financial Officer”
Should I allow it to happen ?
The relationahip is based on Love and Trust……” More likely than NOT
YES!!! She will get her bid and I/we…..will Not regret it !
Great website by the way !
Glenn ~
Many Japanese women look at marriage as an economic choice.
My friend is an American guy and found out that his Japanese wife – Junko Muto of Tokyo – is already married to another guy – She never got divorced from her first husband!!!!
My friend met her and married her in Japan and had registered with the local government office as required in Japan. However, the Japanese wife as it turned out had been married to another man in the US. This US marriage was a legally recognized marriage in Japan, consequently, according to Japanese law, she was guilty of a crime, bigamy.
Eventually the American guy had to enagage legal help, which took an incredible amount of time and money that he had to pay to get the mess sorted out. He had to engage both US and Japanese legal counsel and ended up in Japanese family court.
My friend was uncharacteristically naive and was taken advantage by this girl looking to meet a well off foriegn guy. Again, this is another example of a Japanese woman making an economic choice rather than thinking about the emotional or legal consequences of her actions.