Unlike their counterparts in most western cultures, Japanese women hold the purse strings in their families. The handle all the finances: paying the bills, money management and investments, you name it. Japanese husbands hand over their monthly pay checks, as soon as they get them, around the 25th of the month. They get a stipend (a little pocket money to do there thing with) but that’s all. Wifey takes care of business.
The last few years, the big thing many of the 妻 (housewives) were getting into was online currency trading. Currency trading is not something that’s really looked that favorable upon in Japan. The recent turbulence experienced in that sector of the stock market has had broad sociological implications in Japan. To see what’s up, turn your attention to the New York Times online edition and an excellent article written by Martin Fackler.
