Unmarried Women in Japan

This book aims to answer the question of why many women remain single in Japan, based on life history interview research conducted in Japan. It argues that singlehood increased in Japan due largely to structural barriers and culture, which have caused many women to drift into singlehood. From interviewees’ life history accounts, Yoshida reconstructs the social, cultural, and economic contexts lived through by women of age groups with high never-married rates, and demonstrates how these contexts have had profound impacts on life courses of women, many of whom remain unmarried against their wishes and despite their intent to marry.