shutter man

n. in South Korea, a man who makes less money than his wife. Subjects: South Korea

Etymological Note: So-called because the husband’s only responsibility is said to be the raising and lowering of the shutters of his wife’s shop.

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Citations: 2004 Antti Leppänen Hunjangûi karûch’im (S. Korea) (May 7) “(Social categories) Paeksu thoughts”: One of the funniest versions of paeksu husbands are the so-called shutter men (셔터맨), men who only need to raise and lower the shutter of the shop of their wives. The stereotype concerns especially husbands of pharmacists, who have been able to earn a good income without help from their husbands….Also hairdressing shop keeper’s husband has a chance to become a shutter man, as these women often earn quite good; the two hairdresser’s husbands that I’ve known did lower the shutter of their wife’s shop almost every evening, but they were not shutter men in the more figurative sense—had their own income albeit lower than their wife’s. 2005 Shannon Turk @ S. Korea Hey, I’m in Korea (Chicago, Illinois) (Feb. 4) “Korean is a language”: When a guy is married to a woman who makes more money than him, he is called a “Shutter Man” because all he has to do in the relationship is close the shutter, or rolling metal door, to the shop. this is equvelant to the american slang “Sugar Momma”…ha ha.

Posted 7 Feb 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend