The term "shufu (main woman of the house, or housewife)" has shifted from derogatory to almost exalted.
Ten years ago, a lot of young women would rather have shot themselves in the foot than be called a "sengyo-shufu (a woman with no independent income who sticks to being a housewife)," but now surveys show many of the Shibuya-resident joshikosei (high-school girls) actually aspire to being just that.
The shufu no za (the housewife's throne) is seen as an enviable place to be, the quickie passport to ai (love), antei (security) and sonkei (respect). Before, it was hip to pretend one couldn't even boil water, let alone cook anything; now girls proudly lay claim to culinary skills that would impress those "ryori no tetsujin (iron chef)" folk. I wish I had known such a trend was coming at a time when it still would have mattered. At least I could've saved on all those instant cup noodles.