With greater financial and social independence, women are marrying later in life. A single working woman may want to get married, but is in less of a rush and more selective about her mate. To a lesser degree this applies to men also, but the net result is that many men are having difficulty finding a marriageable wife. Women are also bearing their first child at a later age on average, sometimes well into their 40s.
Incidence:
The average age for marrying Japanese women rose from 24.4 in 1980 to 25.9 in 1990. The corresponding rise for Japanese men was 27.2 to 28.4.