Japanese women take charge of household finance
Women are said to be in charge of the budget in Japanese houselds.
Traditionally, there has always been a strong stereotype around men and women and their defined roles in society.
Even though those roles are slowly diminishing, the truth is that men are known to be the providers and women are known to be the caregivers.
We are by no means trying to cause a riot here but merely stating what tradition has said in the past.
For this very reason, we were intrigued to find out that in Japan women control the household budget.
Yoshihiro Nozawa shared his story on BBC years ago saying that on the 15th of each month, his salary goes straight to his wife.
"She controls the household budget and gives him a monthly pocket money of 30,000 yen ($381; £243). Despite being the breadwinner, that is all the money he can spend on himself over the next 30 days." (BBC)
In essence, Yoshihiro would receive pocket money to the value of R7 231,91 a month.
Everything from their leisure activities to their daily spending habits must be governed by their monthly spending.
We have to say that this practice seems quite efficient if you think about it. It allows the mother, who may or may not be the breadwinner to manage the household expenses with her partner's support.
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In 2012, "according to a survey conducted by research firm Softbrain Field, 74% of Japanese household budgets are controlled by women and it is not just couples with young children." (BBC)
That says a lot about the gender roles in Japanese culture.
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