Japanese Young Women Desire Either One Kid or None

According to a survey, most Japanese young women who are going to marry only want one child or none at all. The typical number of desired children has decreased to under two for the first time after World War II. These expresses alarm over the nation’s rapidly aging population.

In the survey carried out in 2021, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research also discovered that young individuals’ interest in marriage has reduced considerably from the 2015 survey. Despite this, almost 80% of people still desired to get married.

Since 1940, the organization has surveyed the patterns of births and marriages approximately every five years. In the 2021 poll, 6,834 married couples and 7,826 single people participated.

The institute claimed that the data, which was made public on September 9, indicated “a further decline in interest in starting families,” and it speculated that “the uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic may have affected people’s aspirations and intentions for the future.”

The majority of the 4,086 single women in the age range from 18 to 34 either had no desire for children or only desired one. The average for women fell from 2.02 children in 2015 to 1.79 children, while the average for males fell from 1.91 to 1.82 children. Both represent new lows.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development advises a fertility rate of 2.1 births on average over a woman’s lifespan to maintain a steady population.

Men’s and women’s interest in marriage declined from the previous survey, with men’s interest falling 4.3 percentage points to 81.4 percent and women’s interest falling 5.0 points to 84.3 percent.

Since 1997, the number of individuals planning marriage has remained relatively stable.

One-third of people said they didn’t want to be in a relationship, whereas relationships accounted for 21.1 percent of unmarried males and 27.8 percentage of single women.

When asked which characteristics of a partner will determine whether they get married. 70.2 percent of women named their attitude toward household duties and their capacity for raising children. Up from 57.7 percent in the previous study, while 48.2 percent of men mentioned their potential earnings, up from 41.9 percent.

According to the institution, the coronavirus epidemic has altered how couples communicate, with stay-at-home orders and telework replacing in-person interactions. 13.6 percent of couples who married between July 2018 and June 2021 met online via social media or dating apps.

Source: JAPANTODAY

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