Record number of young Japanese people avoiding marriage, govt survey shows

A record number of Japanese men and women have no intention of getting married, a recent government survey showed, dealing a major blow to the country’s population crisis.

A 2021 survey by the National Institute of Populationand Social Security – a government-affiliated body in Tokyo – that was published this month says that 17.3 per cent of men and 14.6 per cent of women aged between 18 and 34 are giving up on marriage– the highest figure since the questionnaire was first conducted in 1982.

In the 1982 survey, merely 2.3 per cent of men and 4.1 per cent of women said they would never marry.

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The survey comes on the back of new data released in the same year which showed that the Japanese population saw a drop of 3.5 per cent—the biggest ever decline—compared to 2020. The data released in May showed that Japan’s population fell by a record 644,000 last year – the 11th consecutive year of decline.

A myriad of factors have been attributed to the downward trend in starting a family.

According to experts, there has been a growing desire among young working women to enjoy the freedoms that come with being single and having a career, the Guardian reported.

Similarly, men also said that they enjoy leading a solitary life as they voiced concern over job security and not being able to earn enough money to sustain a family.

When asked what the “ideal” lifestyle for women would be, nearly 40 per cent of surveyed single men and 34 per cent of single women cited the ability to balance a career with raising children.

Moreover, a change of shifting attitudes towards gender roles was also witnessed, whereby less than 7 per cent wanted their future spouse to stay at home and look after the family.

(With inputs from agencies)

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