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© KYODOJapan to stop labeling people unmarried at 50 as 'lifelong singles'
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Yubaru
And what about those who WERE married, and got divorced, and had no kids? Are they lifelong Half-Marrieds?
So, another waste of money issue! Who gives a crap really.
Elmer Fudd
Average marriage age for women 29.4 years... that goes a long way to explain the lack of kids. That clock is ticking!
Ah_so
One more step into the 21st century.
Cricky
Archaic but not Suprising. Without a label it's confusing for Japanese. I hope the government gets public understanding on.......several topics includinding this one. Has never worked but that doesn't mean they should stop trying to dictate the social narrative .
kurisupisu
I’m starting to feel that Japan is becoming a very progressive country!
philly1
What's wrong with simply being 'single' if one is not currently married? Age is irrelevant. Whether one's single status is due to divorce, death of a spouse, inability to marry a partner of same gender, lack of opportunity to create relationships due to work demands, or personal choice not to marry really doesn't matter. Married. Not married. It could be that simple.
JapanFan
How about calling them late bloomers??
trinklets2
I can label my older sister as lifelong single. She'll be 64 and really never been married. She's beautiful but bounded by family obligation of caring for old and sick parents. There are stories why people are unmarried. Lifelong single is much a better description than spinster I think.
Toasted Heretic
Stop labelling people.
What a brilliant idea.
stepoutsidethebox
Woah!!! Hold on a second. I was about the bang out an angry reply that the government can't just mandate some change in language that is created from society. But then it states this was the terminology used by the government themselves?! Omg LOL.
I have a proposal. From this point on all Japanese news tv and print and internet must now refer to the Japanese government as "バカきょうりゅう"
Do the hustle
So, getting married and having children is a duty in Japan. If you do not get married and have children you are ostracized and receive a derogatory label. Welcome to japan folks!
Joe Blow
"""Progressive"""
Kenji Fujimori
Untouchable is better wording
NCIS Reruns
The assumption that they might marry after 50 is mostly wishful thinking. There are, in any society, people for whom a marriage relationship just won't work. No doubt there are plenty of married people who wish they weren't. Even common-law marriages can't easily be categorized. Most people at least try to seek fulfillment with what nature gave them. 十人十色です. (It takes all kinds.)
kohakuebisu
This news seems trivial but is a sign of Japan moving away from its hyper narrow view of what a family is. This narrow view drives government policy, so it does matter.
The Japanese government supports dependent spouses because it assumes they have children. Childless housewives get support that unmarried mothers do not. Parents in civil partnerships don't get it either.
Luddite
Japan loves to itemise people, stick on labels and then judge them.
Silvafan
Yep!
hooktrunk2
Why can't they just simply say "single" and list their age somewhere nearby?
elephant200
I don't think labelling people with 'labels' is funny! This is very insulting and lacking respects! Some people couldn't get marry before 50 was due to economic hardships and other difficulties! This is a very bad habit to label others with prejudices!
Yubaru
Because the old-farts in government refuse to stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole!
shogun36
How about the government just stop, all of this.
And then do some actual work to help the country out?
Better yet, how about we start labeling the government?
We shall call them the "lifelong useless."
vinarius@pm.catv.ne.jp
Males that cannot get married should try to be more kind & be good human, I have 2 men in my office that cannot get married because they are selfish, and always lying to benefit themselves,expecting too much for the little they are worth and too nasty in the heart. I hope these points help unmarried men over 50, one is over 50 & one is over 60 years old, the one over 60 is a kansayaku & accountant. I hope to see happily married over the age of 50.
Joe Yan
You are sugarcoating the situation. This country is full of lonely men addicted to anime and AKBs...
bullfighter
No, it does not explain the lack of kids. It's 29.6 for women in Canada, 30 in Belgium, 30.8 in France, 32 in Denmark, 30.9 in Germany, 31.3 in Italy, 31.9 in Norway, 33.5 in Sweden, 30.6 in the UK. Some of those countries have lower birth rates than Japan, some higher.
Japanese tend to have kids quite soon after marriage, not infrequently less than nine months after marriage and they tend to have the kids closely spaced. If you get started at age 29 you can easily have two or even three before the woman turns 35.