Japan’s declining birthrate hits a new low. A 37-year-old single woman was shocked after undergoing medical surgery: Maybe marriage is still necessary?!
According to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan today (29th), the birth rate in Japan will drop to 1.15 in 2024, a record low, and the number of births in the whole year will be only about 680,000, which has set a record low for 9 consecutive years.
One of the main reasons for the decline in the number of births is that “fewer people are getting married.” The so-called “unmarried trend” has become more and more obvious since the mid-2000s, which is related to social changes and diversified values.
Whenever such news appears, it also strengthens the impression of the society on the “unmarried” trend.
However, “Oto Answer” pointed out that even so, there are still many people who hold the mood of “wanting to get married” and “wanting to spend their lives with their partners” and go to the marriage consultation office to seek opportunities to change their lives.
The 37-year-old lady confessed: “To be honest, I used to think, ‘Is marriage really necessary?’ I can work at my own pace, have my own free time, and even like to spend holidays alone.”
After graduating from university, she joined a listed company in Tokyo and has been working there for 15 years, with an annual income of about 7 million yen.
She watched many of her friends get married in their 20s, and the newlyweds were full of happiness at every wedding. However, when they met again a few years later, her friends often complained about their husbands and talked about the hard work of raising children, which made her more suspicious: “Does marriage really bring happiness?”
However, things took a turn.
“Recently, I had surgery for a gynecological disease and was hospitalized for a few days. Fortunately, I was diagnosed early and was discharged in a week. But lying in the ward, I suddenly thought: ‘If I am alone in the future, what should I do if I fall ill one day?'”
During this hospitalization, it was her mother who came from the local area who took care of her. “My parents came to Tokyo the day before. After the operation, only my mother stayed in the apartment I rented. She went to and from the hospital every day, helped me with laundry, and took care of my life.”
The ward was a four-person room, two of whom were married women, and their husbands or children often visited them. The other woman, who was about 70 years old, had no visitors during her entire hospitalization.
“I thought to myself that my parents would get older and older. One day, even if I get sick, they might not be able to come at any time. And in the future, I will take care of my parents, not my parents. How relieved it would be if I had a husband or children like my married friends.”
She admitted that at that moment, she felt that what she said in the past, “It’s easy to be alone”, might just be bragging.
“Although I don’t have a strong desire to get married, I think maybe I should start taking the initiative and see how it goes.”
