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Shifting economic foundation of marriage in Japan: the erosion of traditional marriage

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  • Setsuya Fukuda

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

Japan is one of few developed countries in which marriage and higher earning potential among women are negatively associated. As the proportion of births occurring outside of marriage remains low in Japan, fertility is still significantly influenced by marriage trends, which are in turn influenced by societal expectations regarding the marriageability of educated women. Previous studies have suggested that the economic independence associated with higher education is at the root of this negative relationship, but how persistent will this relationship prove to be? As women’s education rapidly catches up with men’s, there is reason to suspect that marriage trends are also in transition. This study examines the latest marriage-related behavior patterns among Japanese women from 2002 onward, focusing on the relationship between women’s economic emancipation and marriage in a gender-traditional society. Using a newly available large panel survey on young adults in Japan, it will demonstrate that the effects of women’s education have reversed, and are now in fact positive.

Suggested Citation

  • Setsuya Fukuda, 2009. "Shifting economic foundation of marriage in Japan: the erosion of traditional marriage," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-033, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2009-033
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2009-033
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Koji Yasuda & Tomoko Kinugasa & Shigeyuki Hamori, 2019. "An Empirical Analysis Of Marital Status In Japan," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(03), pages 773-798, June.
    2. Julen Esteban‐Pretel & Junichi Fujimoto, 2022. "How do marital formation and dissolution differ across employment statuses? Analysis of Japanese non‐regular employees," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 425-461, December.
    3. Setsuya Fukuda, 2013. "The Changing Role of Women’s Earnings in Marriage Formation in Japan," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 646(1), pages 107-128, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Japan; economic theory; education of women; event history analysis; marriage; mate selection; social change; women's emancipation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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