“The Japanese government has begun to consult young people about their interest in marriage – or lack thereof – as Japan continues to struggle with a demographic crisis that is expected to result in a sharp population decline over the next decades.
The Children and Families Agency, launched in April 2023, held its first working group meeting on Friday to support young people in their efforts to find partners through dating, matchmaking and other means. Attenders included those considering marriage in the future and experts versed in the challenges facing younger people.
The agency cited the results of a survey of single people, aged 25 to 34, showing 43.3% of men and 48.1% of women said they had no opportunity to meet potential partners in 2021. Many said they had not done anything to increase their chances, such as attending matchmaking events or asking friends for introductions.
Surveys have shown that many young Japanese are reluctant to marry or have families because of concerns about the high cost of living in big cities, a lack of good jobs, and a work culture that makes it difficult for both partners to have jobs, or for women to return to full-time employment after having children.
Local governments have responded with measures ranging from daycare to matchmaking. In June, the Tokyo metropolitan government said it would launch a dating app as early as this summer.”
Japanese was government efforts to promote marriage were not working and marriages were not increasing because of the growing number of non-regular workers who found it financially difficult to start a family.
byu/BikkaZz ineconomy
by BikkaZz
3 comments
No shit. Why aren’t people having children? One of my co-workers clears 100k+ a year and has a wife that is also a working professional with comparable pay. They just purchased a modest house at 36 years old, a lifestyle that my parents had working in lower paying fields, less education, and 2 children. This generation has been robbed blind.
Smart money is slowly learning they can’t steal their cake and boof it, too 😁
…All of these measures are completely useless if they don’t change the labor laws and wage structures.
If you’re in a country where it’s famous that the companies take advantage of workers, and now both partners in a couple need to work to get by, where are they going to get the time and money for the full time job of raising a kid? This should be simple.