Finances are tight for dual-income households, too, survey finds
Almost half of full-time workers whose spouses are working say they are struggling financially, according to a survey released Thursday by job-matching company Mynavi.
The survey, which was conducted on married workers in dual-income households, found that 46% of them feel financially strained. Respondents reported an average household income of ¥8.06 million ($55,500), but said their ideal income would be ¥11.26 million — a gap of ¥3.2 million.
The study, which collected responses in November from 3,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 59, highlighted the economic stress felt by many working couples, even though 85.8% of respondents said their partner had a full-time, salaried position.
Financial anxiety was more pronounced among households with children, whose average income was higher, at ¥9.01 million, but still fell short of the desired ¥12.47 million.
Respondents who said they were struggling financially reported an average household income of ¥7.17 million — around ¥1.7 million lower than those who said they were not experiencing hardship.
In addition to income stress, the survey explored how couples managed their finances and household responsibilities. A total of 28.8% of respondents reported using an 'allowance system' of setting aside a fixed amount each month for them to spend for themselves. The system was most common among couples in their 50s, with the rate of usage rising to 31.2% in that age group.
The data also exposed stark gender disparities in domestic labor and career advancement. On average, men reported working 18.8 hours of overtime per month, compared with 9.5 hours for women. However, women spent significantly more time on housework — 2.5 hours per day, compared with 1.4 hours for men.
When asked about their career standing, 56.1% of respondents said they did not hold a managerial title.
The gender divide was pronounced: 71% of women said they had no title, versus 47.8% of men. Only around 30% of respondents — or 33.6% of men and 24.2% of women — said they wanted a promotion.
Some respondents cited personal ambition as a reason for wanting to move up the career ladder, but others were hesitant to be promoted, expressing concern about the potential 'bigger workloads and more responsibilities without meaningful rewards,' as one man in his 20s put it.
One woman in her 20s stated she had no interest in climbing the corporate ladder after watching her supervisors being 'overwhelmed and underpaid.'
'Differences in ambition or income levels between men and women are not necessarily the result of individual ability or mindset,' said Akari Asahina, a researcher at Mynavi's Career Research Lab.
'They are often rooted in uneven divisions of labor at home and deep-seated unconscious biases in society.'
Japan had about 13 million dual-income households in 2024, according to government data, and the number is expected to grow.
Asahina said the economic anxiety among these households underscores the need to reassess expectations — not just about money, but about the way people live and work.
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