Society 30% of Japan's unmarried adults under 50 never dated

[thomas]

According to a recent survey, over one-third of unmarried adults in their 20s to 40s do not want to get married, and more than one-third have never experienced a romantic relationship. The proportion of single men and women who have never dated reached 34.1%, the highest level since Recruit Holdings Co., a staffing service group, started to survey people's attitudes toward marriage in 2017. The percentage of people not interested in marriage was 25.6%, close to the result of the gender equality survey by the Japanese government last year. The government has faced challenges with the country's declining birthrate and labour shortage. However, Recruit noted that the figure increased significantly from 2021, when it was 21.1%.

The latest survey was conducted in September and released this month. It covered 1,200 single adults who have never been married. Among the respondents in their 20s, 19.4% of women and 23.7% of men said having a romantic relationship is a waste of time and money. The percentage was lower among older male respondents, but it was notably higher among female respondents in their 30s at 23.6%, rising sharply from 14.6% in the previous survey in 2021. Among men of all age groups who do not want to marry, the top reason, given by 42.5%, was the financial strain of married life. As for women, 40.5% said they do not want to compromise their freedom and independence. While 46.1% of all respondents said they want to marry eventually, the number has been on the downtrend, falling from 55.4% in 2017 to 52.6% in 2021.

Record one-third of Japan's unmarried adults under 50 have never dated

At 34.1%, the ratio was at a record high since Recruit Holdings Co. began conducting surveys on people's views on marriage in 2017.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[Vincent3]

Why do you think are the reasons for so many Japanese people choosing the single life? My hunches are based on what I experienced in Japan 20 years ago, so I'd appreciate hearing some up-to-date perspectives.

 

[Petaris]

@Vincent3 Probably the same reasons as in the US. People don't want the stress and expense of a relationship and potentially kids. A lot of people now are just too selfish and/or self-centered to ever work in a relationship without having to adjust their mindset considerably.