They started this a couple of years ago in Japan too.
Japan's Husbands Learn to Be Loving
October 31, 2009 1:01 PM
The National Chauvinistic Husband's Association is trying to change the way Japanese men treat their wives, showing them how to put quality into their marriages before it is too late. The issue is important in a country where many women are reluctant to marry and more are eager to divorce.
A group of Japanese men claim they have the key to better marriages.
Recently, they gathered in suits and ties outside a busy train station in Tokyo and chanted their "Three Principles of Love:" saying "sorry" without fear; saying "thank you" without hesitation; and saying "I love you" without shame. Calling themselves the National Chauvinistic Husband's Association, they say these declarations are what women want to hear.
The association's members believe that if men can say these words without hesitation, they will have better relationships with their wives. These husbands have good reason to be serious about their goal of teaching men to communicate better with their families. Japan's divorce rate has been soaring in recent years, with 70 percent of the splits initiated by unhappy wives.
The association's 54-year-old chairman, Shuichi Amano, founded it in 1999 after years of trouble in his own marriage. One evening he came home from work, at his usual late hour, and he asked his wife whether she thought it was odd that all the middle-aged men around him suddenly were getting divorced.
"It happened several years ago, when several of my friend's wives were divorcing them," said Amano. "And when I mentioned it, my wife sharply came back with: 'Well, I think you will be next.'"
Amano says her answer all but stopped his heart, then he broke out in a cold sweat. Her sharp tone told him his wife was serious.
After that initial shock, Amano reflected on his relationship with his wife and daughters.
At first, he rationalized that his job as a writer and editor for a publishing company kept him too busy. Eventually, Amano began to admit to himself that he was a typical chauvinist and did not communicate with his family.
His next, and hardest, step toward self-awareness came after many discussions with a few male friends, some already ex-husbands. It sank in that his behavior had been typical of Japan's "strong" husbands, those who communicate only three things to their wives - furo, meshi, neru - meaning bath, dinner and sleep.
His reflections led Amano to think about starting a program of self-improvement for other men in danger of becoming ex-husbands. He first put his energy into saving his own marriage.
"
I changed my attitude and decided to communicate with my wife and three daughters," he said. "Instead of only saying food, bath, and sleep, I washed dishes and did such things as take the trash out. My wife says I've changed, and I am more sensitive. Furthermore, she smiles at me, which she never did before."
Amano was soon passing on what he learned to other men through the National Chauvinistic Husband's Association. The group's name shows that its members have been chauvinists - men who consider themselves superior to their wives - but are working together to reform.
The group developed 10 levels to grade members' relations with their wives. The first level asks is he still in love with his wife after three years of marriage? The second asks does he do a good job helping with housework? Number three is has he ever cheated on his wife, or has his wife ever caught him cheating?
As the ranks get higher, it gets tougher for these men, who have been brought up in Japan's male-dominated society. There is only one member who has attained level 10, the highest. He can tell his wife he loves her without embarrassment.
Amano has made it to level five, and can walk hand-in-hand with his wife.
Yoko Itamoto, a Tokyo marriage counselor, thinks Japanese men need to change their ways, because, she says, the biggest challenge facing the country is marriage.