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One reason for the declining marriage rate is the prevalence of so-called parasite singles, or people who prefer to remain unwed and live at home with their parents during the current economic climate

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Prof. Masahiro Yamada of Chuo University, an expert on family sociology. Parents growing impatient with adult children who do not seem to be in any hurry to get married are taking matters into their own hands, attending events at which they search for suitable partners on their children's behalf. (Yomiuri Shimbun)

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Why don't parents just kick them out? They don't have to get married, this is not the 1700's where you need to be hooked up in order to leave home. Outta uni? Got a job....then out you go.

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Most parents love their children and would not have the heart to kick them out.

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Well I would not kick my children out..my 18 yr old girl, is already on her own, which is hard for me to cope with, letting children go into the world is scary, but we need to teach them, and let them learn...For me a 20 some yr old still at home, needs to have a good reason for still being there...like still studying, saving money to buy a home, I know Japan is alot more expensive than where I live, here we can rent a 3 bed rm 2 bth hone for 600 us dollars...a little less than 55,000 yen..So I could understand some staying home long enough to get their feet on the ground.

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Never understood over here why people still continue to live at home when you come of age. I remember when I turned 18 I couldn't wait to get out on my own. I can understand staying at home for economic reasons, but I think these parasite singles are just using this as an excuse. Funny when the economy was good you had these same parasite singles living at home, and taking foreign vacations and buying expensive goods.

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One reason for the declining marriage rate is the prevalence of so-called parasite singles

The symptom of the problem has been mistaken with the cause. This will make finding a solution very difficult.

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But WHY are they single? Because many look at their parent's marriage and don't want to end up like the that! The women want more options for work and family and the men don't want to work like a slave and take on a nasty wife who has high expectations to stay at home and of getting everything they want. Can't say I blame them. Do blame their parents for raising them to be the spoiled children they are though. Have no one blame but themselves for them staying at home.

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Never understood over here why people still continue to live at home when you come of age.

Perhaps you are not too familiar with African, Asian and, in general, non-western cultures, where it's not so strange to find generations living together, where the older folks aren't usually left to rot by themselves either in nursing homes or alone in their own homes. If you couldn't wait to leave your parents' home, then perhaps there was something wrong in your household. Until she died, my grandmother lived with us and I wouldn't have had it any other way. My sister is a very independent woman and yet she didn't move out until she was in her mid-twenties. Same for me. She worked and helped with the bills. I was a postgraduate student, and I now help them out financially. As long as the grown up children help out financially (if they're working and are not students), and can think for themselves, then I see nothing wrong. Of course I'm not saying there aren't lazy folks, but not all of those living with their parents are parasites.

Both I and my sister no longer live with our parents. Neither of us will get married, but that doesn't mean we're single, spoilt, lazy or dependent on others.

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Perhaps you are not too familiar with African, Asian and, in general, non-western cultures, where it's not so strange to find generations living together,

Pukey2, I am very familiar with those cultures, since I am decendant from the African one. Nothing was wrong with my home life, and I enjoyed living there, but I guess I heard of the mantra from the American Horace Greely to "Go West Young Man" and I did so, moving out to strike out on my own.

Staying at home is fine, and actually from my family members moved out, but stayed close to the family home by living in the same city only moving a few houses away. I can show you in my family alone on how on 7 acres of land, several houses are built within sight of each other and all are brothers and sisters who moved out of the parents house and just made their own home close by.

I can't remember the name of the particular South American tribe that did it this way, but I saw how when young members came of age, they were forced to move out and start on their own, therby taking their culture with them as they spread out into new territory and started their own family.

I agree with you about the grown children helping financially at least if they are still staying at home. But I have read of many cases where this is not so and the children still don't contribute to the household.

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