The New Nation - Internet Edition

MARRIAGE at early age is no more in practice anywhere across the world in general mainly because of complications of modern and competitive life though child marriage was once in vogue everywhere globally. But nowadays in many countries and societies, getting married for both men and women not at proper age has become worrisome for many parents irrespective of territory, caste and creed. Finding a partner for marriage late in life has become an acute problem to parents as reported from Japan.

As a growing number of Japanese remain single into their 40s, parents eager to marry off their children so they can retire in peace are giving new life to the old tradition of matchmaking. More than two hundred parents gathered recently in the ballroom of a hotel in the Japanese capital, many wearing reading glasses as they browsed a list of potential partners for their children. Arranged marriages have fallen out of favour in Japan in recent decades as women take stronger roles in society and choose their own partners - or choose to stay single - without parental interference.

Many young people have focussed on building their careers rather than families, contributing to Japan's rapidly falling birthrate. Most of the parents are of the view that their children would first try to find spouses on their own though some others hold the view that age is a major factor for parents who want grandchildren. In Japan, 47 per cent of men and 32 per cent of women in their early 30s were unmarried in 2005. Among women, the figure has more than doubled since 1990.