Young men's employment and their marriage: A comparison among Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, France, and Sweden

Abstract

In Europe, falling fertility rates are regarded as part of a second demographic transition precipitated by changing values. Low fertility rates in developed Asian countries, however, are thought to be due to decreasing marriage rates, as a result of worsening young men's employment. This study proposes the hypothesis that men in non-regular employment - those with low incomes and those who are unemployed - have lower probabilities of getting married. Male employment was analyzed using a logistic regression of micro data for 20- to 49-year-old men in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, France, and Sweden. The study's findings generally supported the hypothesis and clearly confirmed that there is a relationship between employment and marriage in Asian countries, and especially in Japan.