Back in September, around the time the baby prince was born, I posted a blurb about a new divorce law that would grant women half of their ex-husband's pension. The law kicks in on April 1st. Which means what?
As with almost anything in the world, there are two sides to every story. In this case, it's the male side and the female side. Now let me give you the low down on both:
THE MALE SIDE. Men work their entire lives, day and night, slaving away under the gynormous meta-corporation that owns them until their final day. Sure, they had a few affairs here and there with their secretaries and the unmarried OLs in their tight little uniforms. But that was just a small bonus for the hours of labor necessary to feed the wife and kids. 48.4 percent of men enjoy spending time with their wives after retirement. They've waiting long enough to reap the benefits of their hard-earned down time.
THE FEMALE SIDE. The wives got married young, and pretty much raised their kids alone since their husbands were always working, playing golf, out drinking with their co-workers, or sleeping with their secretaries. Now, finally, the kids are out of the house, the hubby's still working, and the women have some alone time to enjoy. They spend their days watching soap operas, taking art classes, chatting with their girl friends at the cafe or the park, and window shopping at the station building. They go home in the late afternoon to cook dinner and draw baths for their husbands, who are usually tired and grumpy and demanding. But it's only a few hours before they both go to bed and another day of freedom begins. Only 27.1% of women actually enjoy spending time with their retired husbands. Most of them would rather be free.
When the government announced the new divorce law three years ago, the divorce rate in Japan suddenly started to flail. Why? Experts wondered. And then they figured out what was going on--the women were waiting. Waiting until April 1st, when a divorce would grant them half of their husband's retirement money. By some estimates, there are nearly 50,000 women waiting in the wings of divorce court.
I'll keep you posted on how this affects the institution of marriage in Japan after April 07. Will Japan become like America--a nation mired in divorce? Or is the belief in happily ever after more profound than a hefty retirement sum?
April 7 is my birthday. I can celebrate my 24th year of life along with hordes of newly-divorced women rejoicing in their new-found freedom. Hooray!
Posted by: Rog | January 22, 2007 at 06:13 PM
I love the parallels with last year's MNP campaign... Mobile Number Portability...
Luckily, I don't have a pension and I still enjoy baths with my lady.
Posted by: paul | January 22, 2007 at 08:43 PM
I think for some men, it would be a small price to pay for freedom. Marriage isn't great for all men. Hell, why do you think they run off with their secretaries so often?
There's always more than what meets the eye sometimes.
Of course, now that more married women are working after marriage in Japan, will they split the pensions as more and more women rack up ones of their own? This could work both ways.
Posted by: Kuriharu | March 09, 2007 at 09:58 AM