Society Half of Japanese hikikomori now female

[thomas]

Recent government estimates show that women comprise half of all hikikomori in Japan. Mainichi describes how a Tokyo housewife became a social recluse.

It was mid-June when the 36-year-old woman rode a train for the first time in a long while and stepped into a building in Tokyo's Omotesando area for the discussion on the unique experiences of female hikikomori. At the event, the 65 attendees split into groups and each shared the troubles they carry in their lives. Before she knew it, it had been 10 years since the Tokyo-area woman had separated from society, becoming a hikikomori who spoke only to her husband and didn't leave her home. As the other attendees were heading home, she stopped to share her thoughts with this reporter. "Aside from relatives around New Year's and the counsellor I speak with at monthly sessions, this was the first time I spoke with anyone other than my husband this year," the woman said. She had heard about the events through her counsellor, and this was her third time attending. It was visibly apparent she remained nervous.

There are an estimated 1.46 million hikikomori in Japan, according to survey results announced this March by the national government. This includes more widely defined hikikomori, those who only leave their home when needed for hobbies, and those who barely leave their homes or rooms and do not work for at least half a year. Women represented 45% of hikikomori between the ages of 15 and 39, up from 37% in a 2015 survey and 52% of those from 40 to 64, up from 23% in a 2018 survey.

'Not alone': Growing number of middle-aged female 'hikikomori' shut-ins in Japan - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- As a housewife, she felt indebted. This was the feeling expressed by a woman at a discussion here in June aimed at helping female

mainichi.jp

 

[nice gaijin]

Japan is finding equality in all the wrong places