Teenage girls in Shanghai want to rule the boardroom, while their peers in Japan would prefer to be leaders in the classroom or living room, a recent survey suggests.

Japan's Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living polled 200 females aged 16 to 19 in the city and another 200 people of the same age in Tokyo about what they want to do in the future.

The Chinese teenagers said that their top five desired professions are teacher, president or CEO, designer, mass communications related jobs and senior managers.

The Japanese teens said they would like to become child-care workers or teachers, doctors, flight attendants or housewives.

The report didn't provide specific survey results.

Male teenagers in both countries said they would like to work in the computer industry. Chinese teens said the next most interesting jobs are doctor, CEO and engineer. Japanese males said they would like to be civil servants, artists, pharmacists, lawyers or teachers.

"Against a backdrop of doubts about the future from a protracted recession, Japanese youths have a very strong desire for stability," the survey report said.

The report added that Chinese people's career preference was driven by a desire to move up in the world, rather than a passive desire for stability.

Wu Zunmin, a professor in East China Normal University's education department, said that the differences are mainly due to culture traditions in the two nations.

"Japanese girls were traditionally educated to be good wives who could serve their husbands," said Wu.

Years of rapid economic development have taught Chinese girls that they can aim high, and have a well-paid job by running a large company.

(Shanghai Daily December 13, 2005)