Why Japan’s ‘parasite singles’ refuse to get married, stay living with their parents instead
- Factors include a lack of financial security and affordable housing, as well as high expectations among women in particular
- Roughly a quarter of people aged between 20 and 49 in the country are single, according to government data
A sharply dressed crowd of Japanese singletons shuffle awkwardly around tables in a conference room, exchanging small-talk and CVs in an attempt to find a marriage partner – all of them accompanied by their parents.
One 38-year-old woman, who declined to give her name, said she “didn’t have the courage” to find a spouse and move away from her mother, who had come with her to the matchmaking party.
“I didn’t have many good opportunities to meet someone,” she explained, adding: “My workplace has lots of women but not many men.”
And while people of this age routinely express a wish to get married, outdated social attitudes and increasing economic pressure is making tying the knot more and more difficult, experts say.
Sociology professor Masahiro Yamada from Tokyo’s Chuo University said that the norm of single people living with their parents until marriage means there is less immediate pressure to find a partner.