Matsui Ichiro, the mayor of Osaka, is taking heat on social media for suggesting on Friday that men should handle shopping chores during the coronavirus pandemic because women tend to hang around the stores for too long.
Matsui was giving a press conference on Friday to discuss the state of the Wuhan virus pandemic in Osaka, which has recorded 1,500 coronavirus cases so far, second only to Tokyo. The Japanese government declared a national state of emergency until at least May 6 due to the pandemic.
After Matsui stressed the importance of minimizing contact with other people during the pandemic lockdown, a reporter asked about the possibility of restricting access to supermarkets so they would become less crowded.
Matsui responded it might be better to let men handle the shopping runs because women “take a long time as they browse around and hesitate about this and that.”
“Men can snap up things they are told (to buy) and go, so I think it’s good that they go shopping, avoiding human contact,” he elaborated.
Matsui told the male reporter that if he were “told to get this or that,” then he would “go directly” to obtain the needed items and then “go home.”
He further suggested married couples should avoid shopping together because they shop more slowly than either would alone.
Matsui, who is 56 years old, admitted his comments might be taken as “out of touch” but said his observations were based on the behavior of his own family members.
He grievously underestimated the unwritten but strictly enforced rule about discussing differences between male and female behavior, at least without asserting the unequivocal superiority of the fairer sex, and the ravenous hunger of global media for easy stories based on social media outrage.
Social media outrage predictably ensued and many an easy story was written, arguably including the one you are reading. The South China Morning Post cataloged some allegations of sexism, along with some who said Matsui’s remarks were “disrespectful to women and men,” and a few adventurous souls who either thought he made a valid point or thought he had it exactly backward:
Another user said the remark showed politicians don’t think enough about what parenting, household work and nursing involve.
“When I hear remarks like this … I feel the need for people with diverse backgrounds to participate in politics,” the user said.
Others said they observed that men tended to buy pre-made food and therefore were quicker shoppers.
“Whenever I go to the supermarket, it’s mostly women who are shopping for ingredients,” said a Twitter user. “Guess where most men linger? Yes. The pre-made bento food corner.”
But there was some support for the mayor.
“That’s right. Elderly women in particular are always chatting away, unconcerned about shopping,” wrote one user.
The SCMP noted the context that “traditional gender roles are still deeply rooted in Japanese society and women are often still expected to take primary responsibility for childcare and domestic chores, even while holding down professional jobs.”
CNN saw the controversy as a teachable moment about “gender equality”:
Women account for 51% of the Japanese population, according to World Bank data. But Japan is ranked 110th out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum’s index measuring the degree of gender equality.
The mayor’s comments prompted popular Japanese journalist Shoko Egawa to tweet that “people who know nothing about daily life shouldn’t make comments.”
Egawa’s tweet gleaned over 3,000 retweets, with one social media user tweeting that Matsui had probably never done the shopping himself.
Japan remains a largely male-dominated society. The country is ranked 110 out of 149 countries in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest global gender gap index. The country also ranks bottom among the G7 countries for gender equality, despite Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s pledge to empower working women through a policy called “womenomics.”
Channel News Asia quoted critics who thought Matsui should steer clear of all generalizations:
Another dubbed his comment “full of prejudice against women”, adding “there are indecisive men and nimble and sharp women”.
“Does he think (shoppers) like to take time?” added a third. “They are thinking about menus and prices.”
Actually, it is not unreasonable to suppose that shoppers of all backgrounds might be inclined to “take time” if grocery shopping is one of the few excursions they are permitted to make, and if they are nervous about the possibility of shortages but also trying to shop frugally during uncertain economic times.
In any event, it is possible to control crowding in supermarkets without getting anywhere near the minefield of sex politics. The American discount store Costco, for example, swiftly implemented a system that asks shoppers to line up outside the store at safe distances, allowing them inside in small groups, in the manner of a theme park letting people enter an attraction. Costco also provides special shopping hours for high-risk elderly customers to help them avoid mingling with younger crowds.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.