According to demographics statistics which were announced in 2016, the average age of a first marriage for Japanese men is 31.1 years and 29.4 years for women, which is on an increasing trend. What is the Japanese view when it comes to marriage? Today, we will introduce “The Japanese point of view on marriage” such as marriage conditions and the desired annual income of the partner!
Do you know that a woman who is unmarried and aged around 30 years old will propose marriage herself?
Approximately 40% (*) of unmarried women around the age of 30 will begin to feel anxious about marriage and will either “propose to their partner” or ensure that their partners intend to marry them. Women around the age of 30 are not “just waiting for their partner to propose”, instead they “act aggressively to figure out the likelihood that their current partner intends to marry them.” Maybe your impression of a Japanese lady as modest and discreet is wrong!
* Reference source: According to a survey which was conducted by Meiji Yasuda Lifestyle and Welfare Research Institute on men and women dating and marriage, based on 10,304 Japanese men and women aged ranging from 15 to 34 years old in March 2017
Even if Japanese ladies are proposed to by a man who they have no intention of marrying, they might stay in the relationship.
When the question “If a man proposes marriage to you who you have no intention of marrying, what would you do?” was asked during a survey of unmarried women aged 25-34 years old, surprisingly, 70-80% answered that even if they had no intention of getting married they would continue the relationship with the man. As long as they do not hate the man, they will “keep” the man as their boyfriend. If it is impossible for the partner to marry her, then the lady will seriously consider whether they should continue the relationship.
What is the desired annual income of a marriage partner?
According to a questionnaire carried out on unmarried women between the ages of 25 and 34, 56.5% of women whose annual income ranged from 2-3 million yen, want a partner with a minimum annual income of 4 million yen. 87% of women with an annual income ranging from 4-5 million yen also want their partner to earn the same minimum income. From this, we can conclude that those women with a higher annual income want a partner with an equivalent or higher income. However, 20% of women with an annual income of less than a million yen answered that their partner’s income was not a factor in their marriage decision making. It seems that Japanese ladies tend to choose a partner who matches their annual income.
Resource: "Survey on Consciousness concerning Gender Equality and Marriage (2017) Which was conducted by Meiji Yasuda Lifestyle Welfare Research Institute
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