The mayor of Osaka, Japan is taking heat after suggesting that men should do the grocery shopping amid the coronavirus pandemic because women are indecisive and “take a long time.”
Residents in certain parts of the island nation have been asked to shop less frequently and only send one family member to the store for supplies in order to to minimize the spread of COVID-19, according to CNA.
Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui told reporters on Thursday (Apr 23) that men should be entrusted with grocery runs because women “take a long time as they browse around and hesitate about this and that”, Kyodo news agency reported.
“Men can snap up things they are told (to buy) and go, so I think it’s good that they go shopping, avoiding human contact,” the 56-year-old added.
When challenged by a reporter, he acknowledged his remarks might be viewed as out-of-touch, but said they were true in his family.
As one might expect, the mayor is now the focus of angry feminists, as Twitter users called him ‘full of prejudice against women,’ and ‘disrespectful to women and men.’
“There are indecisive men and nimble and sharp women,” said one user.
“Does he think (shoppers) like to take time?” added a third. “They are thinking about menus and prices.”
Others, perhaps those who have lived with a woman, supported the mayor.
“That’s right. Elderly women, in particular, are always chatting away, unconcerned about shopping,” wrote another user.