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Favorite hobby, favorite restaurant or favorite movie: that’s what people usually talk about on a first date. Usually this is where the two people who want to get to know each other meet, and not their parents. This speed dating event in Japan is different.
As CNN reports, about 60 people gathered in Osaka one afternoon to find love. They are not looking for themselves, but for their children. The 60 to 80-year-old parents each paid the equivalent of CHF 85 to participate in the event organized by the “Association of Parents of Marriage Proposal Information” agency. Each of them has a completed questionnaire about their descendants with them.
Being single has economic consequences
The agency was set up to counter the declining marriage and birth rate in the country. Faced with the rising cost of living, poor economic prospects and a demanding work culture, fewer and fewer Japanese are choosing to marry and have children.
According to sociologist Shiqeki Matsuda, if left unaddressed, the problem would have dire consequences: “The main concerns include the decline of overall economic power and national wealth, difficulties in maintaining social security and the loss of social capital in local communities. ” he says to the TV channel.
no time for love
So Japan’s dating problem not only leaves parents disappointed, it also has devastating economic consequences. According to Matsuda, this is not because the Japanese no longer want to get married. Instead, young Japanese suffer from poor working conditions and low wages. East Asian scientist James Raymo takes a similar view: “If you work 70 hours a week, of course you don’t have a partner because you don’t have time to get to know anyone.”
For the parents, it is not so much the economic development as the decreasing chance of having grandchildren that is decisive. Regardless of their motives, their involvement helps raise the marriage rate somewhat. Because, as CNN reports, the agency estimates that about 10 percent of the people it posts later marry. (gs)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
