Ch. 7: The New Order by Muriel Jolivet EGEO 324 Pei-Fen Hsieh Lindsay Lunderman Yuka Matsubara

Ch.7: The New Order Hanako syndrome The Decline of Marriage The impossible to marry off Go shopping Importing Foreign Wives for Farmers There is more to life than sex School for Husbands

Hanako Syndrome 1. The Japanese women are looking more for a prince charming.. 2. Income is the main factor of consideration 3. Trophy Husband 4. Housewives have evolved, Husbands have not!

Declining of Marriage 1. Demographic Problems throughout Japan. 2. Survey in % men 20% women were still single 20% of year old women were still single in the next 5 years, and years old went from 8% to 14% resulting in concern 3. With the ages of there are twice as many bachelors then women and ages there are three times as many. 4. Plummeting birthrate, fewer marriages, increase of divorce, 5. Altman Marriage Bureau said of 95% single women, 60% of them will only marry if the man is perfect 6. Women dont need a husband to live anymore, and families have fewer children so they arent in such a hurry to marry off their daughters

A Risky Investment Since Japanese women arent interested in marriage, Japanese men look elsewhere: Marriage Bureau- men spend money for a wife in other countries, most common the Philippines. Average money spent 2,380,000 yen ($29,000) Problems occur since this wife is his last resort! Women tolerate this behavior because they have a higher living status

Farming Communities Hardest community in finding a wife. Women to Men ratio is 1 women to 4.4 men (bachelors) In laws are living in household as well

School for Husbands Even today Japanese men expect their wife to treat them how their mother did. 2.5 hours a week for 3 months cost 40,000 yen ($500) to learn to pursue a Japanese wife (see next slide) Men want to get married so they dont loose social creditability They want to actually try and understand women! Average age is years old

Japanese men are not very skilled at dating Dating Schools in Japan Japanese men are not very skilled at dating picking up women. There are special courses for men that teach them how to get a date, how to interact with women once the dating process has begun and how to keep the relationship going after it has started. The classes offer tip on how to dress and make conservation. Some are oriented towards finding a wife. Among the dating schools for men are the School of Bridegrooms in Nagoya and Pickup Technique Cram School for Unpopular Men in Tokyo. Some have classes run by pickup professionals. Others runs tours of potential pick up spots, often cafes frequented by young office ladies. Student have said some of the classes are led by men who lecture them and berate them for being too shy. Source:

School for Wives Even women arent immune to the situation Note the stress on traditional roles

Analysis: Three important points Womens ideal partner The importance of male heir Finding a wife

Womens ideal partner Japan: women still look for a men who has a good.. 1. Personality 2. Security 3. Appearance 4. Social status How about Taiwan and China? It is similar to Japanese women.

The Importance of Male Heir Japan: Some families still have the tradition. Ex. The Emperor family also traditional professions -- Farmers Is it true in Taiwan and in China? - It is not a big concern for Taiwanese anymore. - In China this remains a tremendous concern

Finding a wife China - Poverty in the countryside - It is harder to get a wife in the villageJapan - Men are more aware of womens ideal - More people moving into a city

Discussion Compare and contrast to the U.S. culture