Japanese Women Cherish Their Pets More Than Their Spouses

A survey in Japan reveals that while both men and women cherish their children above all, unlike men, women may care more for their pets than their spouses.

According to a survey conducted by Hakuhodo Inc. concerning treasured items that people regularly carry on their persons, 37.1% of the respondents said they kept with them pictures of loved ones or pets.

Asked whose photographs they usually carry (multiple answers allowed), the largest number of people — 57.9% of all the respondents — reported carrying their children’s pictures.

The ranking order thereafter differed between men and women. Photographs of spouses and pets ranked second and third among men, respectively, accounting for 42.5% and 27.2% of responses; meanwhile, the result of the women’s ranking was the reverse, with 33.7% carrying pet pictures and 25% their husbands’.

As for how they carry those pictures, the most frequent method among both male and female respondents was saving photos in their cellular phones, with 87.3% of those polled doing so. Images on cell phones were closely followed by printed photos and pictures in digital cameras, making up 31.7% and 5.3%, respectively.

The survey, which was conducted in March, targeted men and women aged between 15 and 69, and living in the areas of metropolitan Tokyo, Hanshin including Osaka and Kobe, and Nagoya. A total of 2,781 valid answers were obtained.