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Dishwasher Use Remains Low in Japan, Thanks To Sexism
Most kitchens in Japan remain too small to fit a dishwasher. Blame the male-dominated real estate industry, says one critic.
By Jay Allen
It’s an established fact that married women in Japan do too much housework relative to their husbands. One thing that could help cut down the burden is a piece of technology that’s ubiquitous in other countries. Unfortunately, the modern dishwasher still has yet to make a dent in most Japanese homes. Here’s why one Japanese critic says the root cause for that is sexism.
78% of married women in Japan are stuck with the dishes
The burden faced by married Japanese women in their homes is well-documented. A survey run by Tochigi Prefecture last year, for example, found that 28.6% of women surveyed say they do 90% or more of the housework. 9.5% said they did 100%, 20.6% said they did 80%, and 18.7% said they did 70%. All told, nearly 80% of women said they take on 70% or more of the household burden.
That dovetails with surveys I’ve covered here in the past. For example, in 2019, the OECD found that in terms of…
