Event
Lecture: Searching for a Marriage Mate in Postindustrial Japan
Posted: 2015/07/07 | Author: UOJO
Event
Searching for a Marriage Mate in Postindustrial Japan: “Just Right” or “Just Good Enough?”
Dr Ekaterina Hertog, Career Development Fellow in the Sociology of Japan, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies
Late age at marriage and rising rates of singlehood increasingly characterize East Asian societies. This has led to the question of mismatch between single men’s and women’s partner preferences. In particular, it is frequently assumed that young highly-educated women are unrealistic and unwavering in their partner preferences. This paper utilizes a unique data set from one of Japan’s largest marriage agencies to test hypotheses about single men’s and women’s preferences for partners’ education, income, and age as well as their preference adjustments over a one-year period. Results indicate that men initially demonstrate weaker preferences than women about partner’s income and education but tend to retain these preferences over time. In contrast, women begin their search with more selective criteria that conform to a hypergamous model. Over time they broaden their preferences with regard to partner’s education but maintain a strong preference for men with incomes higher than their own.
Dr Ekaterina Hertog is a family sociologist in the Department of Sociology and the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford. Her research looks at different social trends in Japan and East Asia, including employment patterns, partner choices, changes in intergenerational relationships and childbearing choices. She is author of the book “Tough Choices: Bearing an Illegitimate Child in Contemporary Japan”.
Thursday 30 July 2015
19:00 – 20:00 Lecture: Waterras Common Hall, 3F Waterras, 2-101 Kanda Awajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Please note that the venue is different from our past events) This lecture is free of charge and will be delivered in English
20:15 – 21:45 Reception: Terrace 8890, 3F Waterras, 2-101 Kanda Awajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo ￥3,000 (payable on the door)