Gender Differences in Perceived Barriers to Marriage among Never Married Japanese Individuals

Sayaka Kawamura, Bowling Green State University

Delayed transition to marriage in Japan suggests there are barriers for young adults to marry earlier. Using the data from the Japan 2000 National Survey on Family and Economic Conditions (Tsuya, Bumpass, & Rindfuss, 2008), I examined gender differences in never married individuals’ perceived barriers to marriage. As barriers to marriage, I focused on four domains: (1) economic resources, (2) couple agreement on wives’ employment, (3) pressure to have a child soon after marriage, and (4) pressure to co-reside or to have close relationships with parents-in-law. Results reveal significant gender differences in perceived barriers to marriage, except the pressure to have a child. Women were more likely than men to report that economic resources, couple agreement on wives’ employment, and close relationships with in-laws were barriers to marriage. Implications of these gender differences on trends of delayed marriage are discussed.