Reconsidering Intimacy for a Post-Capitalist Society: Insights from the Debates on Social Media

Recently, debates have frequently arisen on social media in Japan regarding whether men should pay for dates. This debate about 'treating/being treated' by an intimate partner is a struggle over gender role norms in intimate relationships. In this report, we aim to analyze the content of these online debates and examine the features of intimacy in a post-capitalist society.

I have previously examined the actual state of gender norm awareness (Kimura 2024). I would like to explore the normative consciousness, mainly imposed on men, that includes paying for dates and asserts that 'men should lead on dates.' According to an analysis using data from unmarried individuals aged 16 to 39, conducted by the Japan Youth Study Group in 2022, 46.8% support the idea that 'men should lead on dates' ('agree' + 'somewhat agree'), while 53.2% do not support it ('disagree somewhat' + 'disagree'). The opinions are roughly split between supporters and non-supporters. Furthermore, among the survey respondents, those who support this norm were more likely to have experience in romantic relationships, currently have a partner, and have had a greater number of relationships compared to those who do not support it. In other words, practicing this norm is thought to provide an advantage in that it makes it easier to find a partner.

Then, as mentioned at the beginning, why does the debate about whether men should pay for dates frequently arise on social media? As society moves toward post-capitalist ideals, where economic roles and contributions are viewed through a different lens, the debates around gender role norms, such as who should pay on dates, take on new dimensions. In this report, based on the analysis of the debate about 'treating/being treated' by an intimate partner, I would like to examine the concept of 'satisfying intimacy' in a post-capitalist society.