COVID-19: Are women slow shoppers? Japan mayor thinks so
- 2020-04-24 12:04
- By gulfnews.com
A man wearing a mask and a colourful attire to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus walks in the Shinjuku Ward in Tokyo Friday evening, April 24, 2020. Image Credit: APTokyo: The mayor of the western Japanese city Osaka came under fire on social media on Friday after saying women take longer than men shopping for groceries as he tried to promote social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the city. By Friday morning there were nearly 1,500 coronavirus cases in Osaka and the prefecture that surrounds it, making it the second hardest-hit after Tokyo, national broadcaster NHK said. Japan’s government has declared a nationwide state of emergency at least through May 6 in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In Osaka, Mayor Ichiro Matsui has been appealing to people to take steps to reduce the risk of virus infections, but his remarks over gender shopping behaviour stirred controversy. “When a woman goes... it will take time,” Matsui said when asked by a male reporter about possibly reducing shoppers’ entry to supermarkets to lower the risk of coronavirus infections. Matsui, who also said married couples should avoid going shopping together, drew criticism on Japanese Twitter over his remarks, with users saying they were sexist. Another user said the remark showed politicians don’t think enough about what parenting, household work and nursing involve. Matsui actually got things the wrong way around, another user said, saying women needed less time than men when going out shopping. “Women are deciding more quickly when shopping,” the user said, adding he took longer to find the right aisles for items he needed.