Here is my consideration about the recent Japanese married couples. In Japan, a situation in which a husband is controlled by his wife is called "to be crushed by wife's hip", or "petticoat government".

(What do you call this kind of situation in the U.S. ?) I believe the above sayings were generated in the old society where the situation was considered uncommon.

But, recently, it seems the ratio of married couples whose wives control their husbands is increasing. And, I am quite confident of that tendency by looking around my surroundings, especially in younger couples.

That phenomenon is based on the concept of sexual equality, which is one of the key concepts in the democratic country, introduced in Japan after the World War II.

In addition to the equality concept, another factor encouraged the wives is that many Japanese enterprises started a salary bank payment from around 1965.

In the past, a husband receives a salary in cash, and hands it to a wife. But, after introduction of a bank payment, it gets common that a wife draws money out at a bank, and give it to her husband as pocket money.

"He (She) who holds the purse rules the house."

Some cartoons were made as a satire that a husband entreats a wife to increase pocket money. Coffee shops in the town are filled with women, and 80% of enrollments at culture schools are made by women. A department provides only one sales floor for men, besides 3 floores for women. Further more, women much contribute for the travel abroad and "top-brand goods shopping".

By the way, men still have powers over Japanese societies, and the number of woman's politician and top management of big enterprise is very limitted.

Though having a powerful wife would be better for making a happy home, we might not say to be a healthy society until women would take half of important roles in the society.

As I get older, my wife gets to take the initiative as if she were my mother. Look forward to hearing from you.
Reiji Imaizumi.