Unmarried Women In Japan

Yoshida addresses the common misconceptions of single, never-married women and aims to uncover the major social and cultural factors contributing to this phenomenon in Japan. Based on interviews with married and never-married women aged 25-46, she argues that the increasing rate of female singlehood is largely due to structural barriers and a culture that has failed to keep up with economic changes. Here is an academic book that is also reader-friendly to the general audience, it presents evidence from the interview transcripts in rich detail as well as insightful analysis. Important sociological concepts and theories are also briefly explained to guide student readers in making connections. Thus, this book not only serves to enlighten readers on current issues in Japan – it also provides sociological perspectives on contemporary gender inequality.

Aunque el envejecimiento de la población sea hoy ya en sí mismo un tema de interés para cualquier país y la comparación de las políticas públicas dirigidas a afrontarlo la forma más elemental y siempre fructífera de abordarlo, el estudio específico de los casos japonés y español (y, por extensión, europea) de sus elementos comunes y sus diferencias, tuvo, tiene y tendrá un especial interés para los investigadores, las autoridades y los actores sociales implicados en el problema. Envejecimiento de la población en España y Japón: estudio comparativo y posibles implicaciones para Europa y Asia Pacífico surge a partir de la celebración entre el 13 y el 17 de octubre de 2008 de un simposium, en el centro cultural Hispano-Japonés de la Universidad de Salamanca, con la participación de profesores de Europa y de Japón. El éxito de este seminario determinó la voluntad de plasmar en un libro las aportaciones más interesantes de cada uno de los brillantes investigadores que allí participaron.

This book provides a key to understanding why there was an increase in extra-marital fertility in Japan from the 1990s to the 2010s, particularly between 1995 and 2015, and the factors which contribute to the multistratification of unmarried mothers, the number of which has increased ensuingly. It also allows for international comparison by providing data on outcomes of extra-marital childbirth. Previously, it was believed that the idea of a ‘second demographic transition’ did not apply to Japan, which had a relatively low rate of extra-marital fertility. However, more recently, though still at a low level, a subtle but gradual rise is seen in the number of women who become unmarried mothers as a result of births outside marriage. This trend suggests that the social environment surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and marriage is changing. In this book, various data such as national statistics, nationwide surveys, and media discourse are analysed with a view to revealing the factors affecting unmarried women’s decisions when they discover they are pregnant. Various matters are discussed, such as changes in sexual activity and contraceptive use, advance in reproductive technology, the law and government policies pertaining to adoption, social consciousness towards unwed mothers, the change in perception of abortion from the religious perspective, and difference of socioeconomic status depending on the women’s occupation. Facts from vital statistics are first laid out, showing that, while abortion has consistently been on the decrease from the 1990s onward, shotgun marriages have peaked out. Adoption is rare and remains very small in proportion, while extra-marital fertility is on the rise. The author then points to the possibility that greater lenience found in the social consciousness towards unwed mothers in recent years is a pull factor for the increase in extra-marital fertility. Further, by analysing vital statistics, it is revealed that the probability of becoming a mother without marrying changed with the woman’s occupation, explicable by the stability of employment and level of income, and that between 1995 and 2015, the effects of the job factor are changing. If we assume that, unlike the first demographic transition model, the ‘second demographic transition’ may show a similar direction but be on a different scale according to the country, it is possible to say that Japan too is experiencing the ‘second demographic transition’.

In East Asia’s largest cities, hundreds of thousands of women remain single into middle age and beyond, giving rise to a demographic transformation with profound implications for their societies. Labeled in the media as “loser dogs” and “parasites” in Japan and “leftover women” in mainland China and Hong Kong, single women in East Asia are criticized for being choosy, selfish, and overly independent. Based on ethnographic research and interviews with more than a hundred single women in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, Making Our Own Destiny is the first study to comprehensively compare the views and experiences of single women living in these three great cities—cities that stand at the forefront of the region’s movement toward later marriage and rising singlehood. This well-researched book explores how single women attempt to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities for success in education and work while navigating marriage and family expectations. Unlike their counterparts in Europe and North America, many do not have romantic partners and most do not have children. What do these women want? How do they see themselves and their place in society? What are their values, goals, and dreams? As they work to balance opportunities with expectations, single women in urban East Asia find themselves deeply embedded in the caregiving systems of their societies. In Shanghai, author Lynne Nakano finds single women rushing to marry to enter intergenerational relationships of care. In Hong Kong, they consider the risks of marriage as they tend to the needs of natal and extended families. In Tokyo, many single women hope to marry to have children while others find a place for themselves in their families as elder caregivers. Nakano’s intimate portrayals not only expose meticulously planned family strategies gone awry, engagements broken, and careers abandoned, but also highlight the experiences of women embracing the joys of remaining single. Hers is a fascinating study of modern women finding meaning in their lives while offering an insightful glimpse into the future of urban families in an age of low fertility and long transitions into adulthood.

Happy Singlehood charts a way forward for singles to live life on their terms, and shows how everyone—single or coupled—can benefit from accepting solo living. Based on personal interviews, quantitative analysis, and extensive review of singles’ writings and literature, author Elyakim Kislev uncovers groundbreaking insights on how unmarried people create satisfying lives in a world where social structures and policies are still designed to favor marriage. In this carefully crafted book, Kislev investigates how singles nurture social networks, create innovative communities, and effectively deal with discrimination. Happy Singlehood challenges readers to rethink how single people organize social and familial ties in new ways, and illuminates how educators, policymakers, and urban planners should cater to their needs.

In this novel based on her own scandalous life in 1920s Japan, Uno Chiyo follows her heroine, Kazue, from birth to her mid-thirties. In search of some intrinsic meaning to her dissolute life, Kazue recounts one amorous escapade after another in a delightful, insouciant tale of female self-discovery.

This book provides a key to understanding why there was an increase in extra-marital fertility in Japan from the 1990s to the 2010s, particularly between 1995 and 2015, and the factors which contribute to the multistratification of unmarried mothers, the number of which has increased ensuingly. It also allows for international comparison by providing data on outcomes of extra-marital childbirth. Previously, it was believed that the idea of a 'second demographic transition' did not apply to Japan, which had a relatively low rate of extra-marital fertility. However, more recently, though still at a low level, a subtle but gradual rise is seen in the number of women who become unmarried mothers as a result of births outside marriage. This trend suggests that the social environment surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and marriage is changing. In this book, various data such as national statistics, nationwide surveys, and media discourse are analysed with a view to revealing the factors affecting unmarried women's decisions when they discover they are pregnant. Various matters are discussed, such as changes in sexual activity and contraceptive use, advance in reproductive technology, the law and government policies pertaining to adoption, social consciousness towards unwed mothers, the change in perception of abortion from the religious perspective, and difference of socioeconomic status depending on the women's occupation. Facts from vital statistics are first laid out, showing that, while abortion has consistently been on the decrease from the 1990s onward, shotgun marriages have peaked out. Adoption is rare and remains very small in proportion, while extra-marital fertility is on the rise. The author then points to the possibility that greater lenience found in the social consciousness towards unwed mothers in recent years is a pull factor for the increase in extra-marital fertility. Further, by analysing vital statistics, it is revealed that the probability of becoming a mother without marrying changed with the woman's occupation, explicable by the stability of employment and level of income, and that between 1995 and 2015, the effects of the job factor are changing. If we assume that, unlike the first demographic transition model, the 'second demographic transition' may show a similar direction but be on a different scale according to the country, it is possible to say that Japan too is experiencing the 'second demographic transition'.

How do couples build intimacy in an era that valorizes independence and self-responsibility? How can a man be a good husband when full-time jobs are scarce? How can unmarried women find fulfillment and recognition outside of normative relationships? How can a person express their sexuality when there is no terminology that feels right? In contemporary Japan, broad social transformations are reflected and refracted in changing intimate relationships. As the Japanese population ages, the low birth rate shrinks the population, and decades of recession radically restructure labor markets, Japanese intimate relationships, norms, and ideals are concurrently shifting. This volume explores a broad range of intimate practices in Japan in the first decades of the 2000s to trace how social change is becoming manifest through deeply personal choices. From young people making decisions about birth control to spouses struggling to connect with each other, parents worrying about stigma faced by their adopted children, and queer people creating new terms to express their identifications, Japanese intimacies are commanding a surprising amount of attention, both within and beyond Japan. With ethnographic analysis focused on how intimacy is imagined, enacted, and discussed, the volume's chapters offer rich and complex portraits of how people balance personal desires with feasible possibilities and shifting social norms. Intimate Japan will appeal to scholars and students in anthropology and Japanese or Asian studies, particularly those focusing on gender, kinship, sexuality, and labor policy. The book will also be of interest to researchers across social science subject areas, including sociology, political science, and psychology.