Japanese Mayor Apologises For Flyer Issued To Pregnant Women

Japanese women have long struggled against deeply entrenched gender stereotypes, and there was a furious reaction when the document was shared.

A Japanese mayor has apologised after a public outcry over a flyer issued to pregnant women advising them on what most irritated husbands after their wives became mothers, an official said Thursday.

The flyer included a section titled "Advice from fathers to you", which included answers to a survey of new fathers conducted five years ago in the city of Onomichi in western Hiroshima prefecture.

Officials have been sharing the responses with expectant women ever since, apparently thinking it would be helpful to know what new fathers liked and disliked about their wives' behaviour after giving birth.