14 ms·

Some 4.5M Japanese aged between 35 and 54 are living with their parents

123 points by e15ctr0n 9y ago

hyperion2010 9y ago
I interpreted this as an allusion to this song [0]. They are seeing life from the other side now. 0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Xm30heHms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Xm30heHms
Gustomaximus 9y ago
I wonder if the west will see a similar effect from the outta control property prices. Historically when people retire they have their house paid off and they can live on a low budget for the retirement years. This is likely not going to be the case for a large number of people in ~35 off years.
- averagewall 9y ago
  They can move to small towns with cheap property. High prices are mostly a city phenomenon which is not as important when you don't work anymore.
  - Animats 9y ago
    They can move to small towns with cheap property. Of which Japan has many, filled mostly with retirees. Also, since public services are funded nationally, the civic infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals) is kept up even when the population drops.
    - Aeolun 9y ago
      To a point.
    - Mediterraneo10 9y ago
      The New York Times has presented a couple of articles over the last two years on dying towns in Japan, and it was noted that once the population drops to a certain point, the utilities get cut off, making it hard for anyone who actually wants to live there, to do so.
- mooreds 9y ago
  As far as affecting retirement, I am less worried about rising property prices and more concerned about how easy it is to access home equity. That ease makes it very tempting to dip into your nest egg when you should be paying down your mortgage. And there's always some reason to borrow. Of course, that is only an issue for folks who've been able to buy property, but as another comment mentions, if you leave certain metro areas property becomes very affordable very quick.
  - bdowling 9y ago
    The reason to borrow is to take equity out of your home (a money pit with limited tax benefits) and put it into some other investment that is either generating income or accumulation of capital.
    - mooreds 9y ago
      Yes, that is a good reason to borrow. A bad reason to borrow is because you really want a vacation! But a heloc doesn't care what you borrow.
  - PebblesHD 9y ago
    The issue here then becomes what do you do at 60 when you've been unable to purchase property and can now not qualify for a standard 30 year mortgage? If you've paid 35% of your before tax income in rent since you were 20 on a standard salary, you've got maybe $150k(AUD) in savings if you were really, really dedicated, which isn't even enough to buy a house 600km out of a major city (Sydney in my example) and now have no income outside of superannuation or a government pension? Quality of retirement (in Australia) evaporates if you have to pay market rate rents...
    - pm90 9y ago
      I might be wrong since I don't know what the economy in Australia is like, but it is VERY unlikely for someone in the US to have $150k in savings and yet not own a home. In fact the opposite does happen a lot: all of a person's equity is in their house, and they have $0 in savings. But then they sell their house, move to a cheaper house and used the difference to make ends meet.
- devoply 9y ago
  I dunno if there have been studies which account for where all that wealth is going from the increased housing prices. My guess would be the banks and the 1%.
  - flukus 9y ago
    A lot of debt + low inflation == bankers wet dreams.
- Markoff 9y ago
  so what should one do if let's say in his 30s he already has his own house without mortgage and any help of parents?
linkregister 9y ago
The second example was not a "parasite single," he was someone who tragically got Parkinson's disease after already having a career. The fact that the journalist couldn't find two legitimate anecdotes makes me question whether this is an actual trend in Japan.
- averagewall 9y ago
  What's the difference between tragically getting a disease and tragically failing to get a stable job? They are both conditions that lead to being a "parasite". Your comment sounds like you're blaming the victims of poverty for being poor. Not everyone is equipped to make the best personal choices for their lives. There will always be people who lack motivation and make mistakes just as there will be people who get diseases.
  - linkregister 9y ago
    I think you are seriously misreading my comment; give it another glance. The journalists's use of the pejorative "parasite" is not appropriate for someone who fell under serious misfortune as living with Parkinson's. "Parasite" implies a willful decision to live off another's resources. The first example was that: the woman decided to pursue emotionally fulfilling work without saving or contributing to a pension. I'm criticizing the journalist, who in the attempt to document a "weird Japan" trend, just dug up a sad story which could have happened anywhere in the world.
- labster 9y ago
  Nah, it's a real trend, it's just hard to find hikikomori who want to do an interview. For some reason.
- rocky1138 9y ago
  Even the first one doesn't really count in my books because the partner had died. Find me an example of a Japanese nuclear family where both parents are still alive and the kid lives at home.
mooreds 9y ago
Not a very informative article, unfortunately. No discussion of what caused the issue, what is being done to help these folks, or if anything can be done. A few of these folks are profiled, but one of them was diagnosed with a disease in his 40s and would have issues whether or not he lived with his parents. The bigger issue is the tremendous waste of human capital at a time when Japan needs employees more and more. (Of course, it is the right of these individuals to live their lives as they see fit, but society would benefit if they were more productive.) Maybe the employers need to change? Maybe the social net needs to be modified to encourage work? Not sure how to change incentives, but it certainly seems a large subset of that generation isn't headed anywhere good.
sandworm101 9y ago
I don't see the "illusions". It isn't as if these people are daily choosing their life. There aren't huge numbers of well-paid jobs out there for them or anyone else. Just because someone isn't successful doesn't mean they are under some sort of illusion. The word "parasite" also implies that these people should somehow stop living, that they are such a drain that the parasite should just let got and die rather than continue the only life available to them. They may have made some mistakes, but in previous generations a few mistakes now and again was not a life sentence. A few years off the books wasn't a big deal in the 80s or 90s. Now any gap in your linkedin profile is interrogated. In Japan and elsewhere, anyone with a blot on their employment record is doomed. And heaven help those with any criminal convictions. Our societies today deliberately push away so many people. It is improper of us to then say that it is entirely their fault or that they suffer illusions. The illusion is ours, that by shunning and dispossessing people for slight imperfections we only amplify them. Once upon a time there was a net of reasonable jobs that didn't pay well but allowed people a life, low-level government jobs that took anyone willing to work hard. But has anyone here looked at how hard it is to become a postal worker or to join the army? Ability and willingness is no longer enough. (I have relatives in the Canadian Armed Forces. The application process takes at least one and sometimes many years.)
- devoply 9y ago
  > Once upon a time there was a net of reasonable jobs that didn't pay well but allowed people a life, low-level government jobs that took anyone willing to work hard. But has anyone here looked at how hard it is to become a postal worker or to join the army? Ability and willingness isn't enough any more. This is all about Neoliberalism then isn't it. Privatize everything and then the privatized companies are highly competitive and only want the best and couldn't care less about the middle or the bottom. It's not about jobs, it's really never been about the jobs that's just rhetoric. It's about profits. And profits are stuck in large consolidated corporations that pay as little as possible to the middle and the bottom, preferably on contract or the "sharing" economy of contractors. For full-time employees with benefits they just want the top which is often overworked. I mean the economy was engineered to be like this specifically for the benefit of those with money.
mc32 9y ago
Recently I heard senator Warren speak of what she essentially described as the selling out of the middle class starting with Reagan and with the tacit support of democrats. When you see the effects of the maturation of an economy plus globalization, it's apparent it's not as simple as saying that beginning in the '80s the establishment sold out the middle class in favor of the elite. There is more at play. Japan has been suffering from the same issues, but somewhat differently due to some structural rigidity. Japan is, as they say, complicated. Work culture (at the extreme death from over work, but commonly getting home very late due to social obligations at work), gender roles (still difficult for women to achieve success on par with men), cost of living, hiring practices (must be hired before graduation) hyperactive brand awareness (the new cool thing minted by thirteen year olds must be had by virtually 50% of the pop) and to some degree idealization of a bohemian way of life and repudiation of their previous generations' attitudes toward work. All these things come together and result in a ~30year intractable malaise. If they could just get themselves to address the biggest issue, make it easier for women to work and succeed (opportunities, responsibilities, salaries, time off for family and bigly social expectations) they just might have a chance at improving things, but I'm not holding my breath.
- stuartaxelowen 9y ago
  To be fair, it's difficult for women to achieve the same station as men even in most forward thinking countries. Japan is far behind this for a variety of reasons, and I think the parent comment undersells how much of a problem this is for Japanese women.
  - mc32 9y ago
    Understood --however, attitudes in Japan towards women in the workforce are, unevenly, about 60+ years behind other mature economies.
- solidsnack9000 9y ago
  Given the way that problems in Japan have effected the population -- many men as well as women are out of work; the phenomenon of hikkikomori affects predominately men; death by overwork affects men as well as women -- why do you think the "biggest issue" is making it "easier for women to work and succeed"?
ithinkinstereo 9y ago
Japan is a preview of what's coming to many developed western economies. I found this paragraph from the article disturbingly similar to the situation here in the states: "The rise in those shunning marriage, experts say, is due not only to more diverse life-styles but to an increase in low-paying, unstable jobs. Part-timers, temps or contract workers now account for nearly 40 percent of the workforce compared to about 20 percent in the 1980s." I imagine this will only be accelerated with the rise of AI and increasing job automation. Already, we're seeing the average age when people get married and have kids rise with each generation. I think alot of this is due to job instability, depressed wages, rise of the 1099 worker with no benefits, etc. Reminds me of the situation in China, where unless you have a house and a car, you're basically persona-non-grata. So if you're a young person in the US, you're doubly screwed. All your friends and potential dating partners are concentrated in the big cities, but those are also the places with the highest costs of living, highest costs to own a home, to raise a kid, etc. If you're mid 20s / early 30s person in San Fran and you're not working for GOOG/FB/APPL etc. you're basically screwed.
- majormajor 9y ago
  This is a rather narrow perspective. Lotta cheap big cities with lots of jobs if you're not on the coast. The people really screwed aren't the ones in Dallas, Atlanta, or Charlotte - where an average home is something like 200K and jobs can be found - they're the ones in dying small towns that have been left by businesses, or in the expensive coastal cities where they're caught up in the housing madness but without the high income or established wealth driving those prices. They'd be better off moving to, say, the Dallas area, but that's not an option for everyone. And "you have to pick up your life and say goodbye to everyone you know because the market says so" is hardly an outcome we should be promoting. (I'd also make the argument that we'd be better off getting more diverse perspectives into those cities, vs our current CA/NY/OR/WA-vs-the-rest-of-the-US silos, but that's another discussion, and a perfect example of "if you really believed that so deeply, why don't you move yourself?")
  - zzzzzzzza 9y ago
    "you have to pick up your life and say goodbye to everyone you know because the market says so" is hardly an outcome we should be promoting. Disagree. If your town's way of life is based on for example, coal mining, then good riddance. Another example, perhaps the town is based on agriculture but drones cut the need for labor in half, some people will have to either learn some skill that can be applied remotely or move elsewhere to efficiently allocate their labor. The government (imo) shouldn't be "promoting" any lifestyle. Let the markets operate.
iphonethrowaway 9y ago
puts on they live glasses Marry, reproduce, consume! If you don't you're a parasite.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
mm4 9y ago
premiss is way off. it's not because they're single, but because they did not work they are in trouble... this article feels like social engineering - well juppies marry marry marry
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  FYI, spelling of 'premiss' is 'premise'.
olivermarks 9y ago
Perhaps some of these people chose to live in a close family unit with their relatives through choice. This is how millions of people live in other cultures worldwide, caring for each other. No shame in that at all. This article appears to be pro rat race or be shamed...
- marak830 9y ago
  That is common here, I'm an Aussie with a Japanese wife, I just invited her grandparents to live with us. (Grab spa is old and grandma has to look after him, this way we can help, and grandma can help my wife when we have a child)
  - Markoff 9y ago
    isn't it their own children who should take care of them? I find it odd they skipped one generation and they are going to burden you I think help from them with your child will be much less valuable (close to zero due to advanced age) than your help to them
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      Some people perform selfless acts because they're decent people.
- responde 9y ago
  I'm calling BS on this one. In as much as they chose to live in a close family unit, they should also pro-actively contribute financially to said close family unit, not lazy about with guitars and stupid songs.
  - ZenoArrow 9y ago
    You really need to learn to look past media bias. This is the view the article author is leading the reader to have, but the reality is likely to be much more complex. Just looking at the number of people who live at home with parents has no bearing on what got them there. Some may be actively looking for work but only able to find sporadic temp work. Others may be needed as a live-at-home carer to their elderly relatives. Some may be genuinely lazy. Some may be very hard working. There's literally none of this information conveyed in statistics alone, all you have in this article is a few hand-picked personal stories to present the view that the author wanted to convey.
member221 9y ago
My grandma had Parkinson's disease, she is about 80 years old it was detected 7 years ago. it was getting more difficult to live for her, because of stiff muscles she can't even move. L-dopa and carbidopa medicines are given, but won"t give much relief. She can"t eat food and the skin is damaging forming ganglia. This is may be the last stage of disease.. nothing was really working to help her condition. Finally she started on parkinson's herbal formula i purchased from Health Herbal Clinic, i read alot of positive reviews from other patients who used the parkinson's herbal treatment. she used the herbal remedy for 7 weeks, its effects on parkinson's is amazing, all her symptoms gradually faded away, she feed very more freely by herself now! (Visit www. healthherbalclinic. weebly. com or email at healthherbalclinic@ gmail. com) I recommend this Parkinson's herbal formula for all Parkinson's Patients.
member221 9y ago
My grandma had Parkinson's disease, she is about 80 years old it was detected 7 years ago. it was getting more difficult to live for her, because of stiff muscles she can't even move. L-dopa and carbidopa medicines are given, but won"t give much relief. She can"t eat food and the skin is damaging forming ganglia. This is may be the last stage of disease.. nothing was really working to help her condition. Finally she started on parkinson's herbal formula i purchased from Health Herbal Clinic, i read alot of positive reviews from other patients who used the parkinson's herbal treatment. she used the herbal remedy for 7 weeks, its effects on parkinson's is amazing, all her symptoms gradually faded away, she feed very more freely by herself now! (Visit www. healthherbalclinic. weebly. com or email at healthherbalclinic@ gmail. com) I recommend this Parkinson's herbal formula for all Parkinson's Patients.
finid 9y ago
In many societies, living with your parents is nothing unusual, especially if they own their own home.
- adrianlmm 9y ago
  Name 3 please.
  - saint_fiasco 9y ago
    Paraguay, the Philippines and apparently Japan
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
  - verroq 9y ago
    China for one.
  - vkou 9y ago
    Most former Soviet republics. This would be the case for pretty much any society where land and housing was not easily available. As housing is becoming increasingly unavailable in the United States, and population is still increasing, expect to see it here.
    - yellowapple 9y ago
      There's plenty of housing available in the U.S. The lack of housing availability is more localized to specific heavily-urbanized areas (like the coasts); as you move inland, property costs drop significantly.
      - vkou 9y ago
        As do employment prospects. When you need a job to survive, a house without a job is just as pointless as a job without a house. That housing may as well be on the moon for all the good it does.
nihonde 9y ago
Am I the only person who sees this as good news? There is a lot to learn from old people, and seniors often need the help at home.
6stringmerc 9y ago
I think it's hard for some non-US Citizens to understand how rather backwards and unwelcome the thought is for Grown Children as Adults to be living at home with their Parents. The cultural fabric of the US mentality is to grow up and achieve "Independence" as a general concept. That usually means living away from family, and having the means to do so. Culturally, living with one's Parents in the United States, as a grown Adult, with or without a Spouse, is going to be predominately portrayed as a negative lifestyle indicator. As in, the Individual doesn't have the choice of Independence, at least not the basic financial / living arrangements type. The "Sandwich Generation" label scares the ever loving spirit of freedom out of most US people who might find themselves caught between providing for both Kids AND Parents. Assimilation into values such as this US type of Independence are, understandably, quite foreign to several other Large Cultures elsewhere in the World. However, on this turf, it is the prevailing attitude. No amount of "Well in other countries it's perfectly normal" will turn the tide regarding this component of the US life experience, and, at least here, it's an indicator of a need to further assimilate or, unfortunately, deal with cultural push back. To be fair to the US, this happens when US people try to ascribe their values to other cultures as well. I get it. Two way street.
- adventured 9y ago
  I have some kind of fetish for saving interesting data images, so here's one for this (covering Europe + US): http://i.imgur.com/Ps8qQ4A.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Ps8qQ4A.jpg
  - antisthenes 9y ago
    Overlay with unemployment and PPP per capita maps and you'll be starting to get a clearer picture.
  - distances 9y ago
    It's worth noting that getting to the low percentages requires a society that subsidizes living costs. In the Nordic countries living with your parents as an adult implies some non-financial reason to do so; every adult will receive housing benefits for independent living if needed.
adrianlmm 9y ago
Nobody likes killjoys, and I see so much denial in these comments, yes, you will get old and the desitions you make today matter for your future even if you choose to ignore that fact and "live for the moment".
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Markoff 9y ago
I missed in the article what is the percentage in other countries making Japan special with 20%. Btw. is there something wrong with it, if parents and the men are fine with that, what's the problem here? At least parents will have someone to take care of them, my wife's uncle is in similar position and I don't see it as anything bad, at least other children with better jobs no need to take care of them. Or the preffered option is to dump own parents to retirement home and stay in your own apartment, if someone has no problem with the other option?

123 points by e15ctr0n 9y ago

hyperion2010 9y ago

I interpreted this as an allusion to this song [0]. They are seeing life from the other side now. 0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Xm30heHms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Xm30heHms

Gustomaximus 9y ago

I wonder if the west will see a similar effect from the outta control property prices. Historically when people retire they have their house paid off and they can live on a low budget for the retirement years. This is likely not going to be the case for a large number of people in ~35 off years.

averagewall 9y ago
They can move to small towns with cheap property. High prices are mostly a city phenomenon which is not as important when you don't work anymore.
- Animats 9y ago
  They can move to small towns with cheap property. Of which Japan has many, filled mostly with retirees. Also, since public services are funded nationally, the civic infrastructure (roads, schools, hospitals) is kept up even when the population drops.
  - Aeolun 9y ago
    To a point.
  - Mediterraneo10 9y ago
    The New York Times has presented a couple of articles over the last two years on dying towns in Japan, and it was noted that once the population drops to a certain point, the utilities get cut off, making it hard for anyone who actually wants to live there, to do so.
mooreds 9y ago
As far as affecting retirement, I am less worried about rising property prices and more concerned about how easy it is to access home equity. That ease makes it very tempting to dip into your nest egg when you should be paying down your mortgage. And there's always some reason to borrow. Of course, that is only an issue for folks who've been able to buy property, but as another comment mentions, if you leave certain metro areas property becomes very affordable very quick.
- bdowling 9y ago
  The reason to borrow is to take equity out of your home (a money pit with limited tax benefits) and put it into some other investment that is either generating income or accumulation of capital.
  - mooreds 9y ago
    Yes, that is a good reason to borrow. A bad reason to borrow is because you really want a vacation! But a heloc doesn't care what you borrow.
- PebblesHD 9y ago
  The issue here then becomes what do you do at 60 when you've been unable to purchase property and can now not qualify for a standard 30 year mortgage? If you've paid 35% of your before tax income in rent since you were 20 on a standard salary, you've got maybe $150k(AUD) in savings if you were really, really dedicated, which isn't even enough to buy a house 600km out of a major city (Sydney in my example) and now have no income outside of superannuation or a government pension? Quality of retirement (in Australia) evaporates if you have to pay market rate rents...
  - pm90 9y ago
    I might be wrong since I don't know what the economy in Australia is like, but it is VERY unlikely for someone in the US to have $150k in savings and yet not own a home. In fact the opposite does happen a lot: all of a person's equity is in their house, and they have $0 in savings. But then they sell their house, move to a cheaper house and used the difference to make ends meet.
devoply 9y ago
I dunno if there have been studies which account for where all that wealth is going from the increased housing prices. My guess would be the banks and the 1%.
- flukus 9y ago
  A lot of debt + low inflation == bankers wet dreams.
Markoff 9y ago
so what should one do if let's say in his 30s he already has his own house without mortgage and any help of parents?

linkregister 9y ago

The second example was not a "parasite single," he was someone who tragically got Parkinson's disease after already having a career. The fact that the journalist couldn't find two legitimate anecdotes makes me question whether this is an actual trend in Japan.

averagewall 9y ago
What's the difference between tragically getting a disease and tragically failing to get a stable job? They are both conditions that lead to being a "parasite". Your comment sounds like you're blaming the victims of poverty for being poor. Not everyone is equipped to make the best personal choices for their lives. There will always be people who lack motivation and make mistakes just as there will be people who get diseases.
- linkregister 9y ago
  I think you are seriously misreading my comment; give it another glance. The journalists's use of the pejorative "parasite" is not appropriate for someone who fell under serious misfortune as living with Parkinson's. "Parasite" implies a willful decision to live off another's resources. The first example was that: the woman decided to pursue emotionally fulfilling work without saving or contributing to a pension. I'm criticizing the journalist, who in the attempt to document a "weird Japan" trend, just dug up a sad story which could have happened anywhere in the world.
labster 9y ago
Nah, it's a real trend, it's just hard to find hikikomori who want to do an interview. For some reason.
rocky1138 9y ago
Even the first one doesn't really count in my books because the partner had died. Find me an example of a Japanese nuclear family where both parents are still alive and the kid lives at home.

mooreds 9y ago

Not a very informative article, unfortunately. No discussion of what caused the issue, what is being done to help these folks, or if anything can be done. A few of these folks are profiled, but one of them was diagnosed with a disease in his 40s and would have issues whether or not he lived with his parents. The bigger issue is the tremendous waste of human capital at a time when Japan needs employees more and more. (Of course, it is the right of these individuals to live their lives as they see fit, but society would benefit if they were more productive.) Maybe the employers need to change? Maybe the social net needs to be modified to encourage work? Not sure how to change incentives, but it certainly seems a large subset of that generation isn't headed anywhere good.

sandworm101 9y ago

I don't see the "illusions". It isn't as if these people are daily choosing their life. There aren't huge numbers of well-paid jobs out there for them or anyone else. Just because someone isn't successful doesn't mean they are under some sort of illusion. The word "parasite" also implies that these people should somehow stop living, that they are such a drain that the parasite should just let got and die rather than continue the only life available to them. They may have made some mistakes, but in previous generations a few mistakes now and again was not a life sentence. A few years off the books wasn't a big deal in the 80s or 90s. Now any gap in your linkedin profile is interrogated. In Japan and elsewhere, anyone with a blot on their employment record is doomed. And heaven help those with any criminal convictions. Our societies today deliberately push away so many people. It is improper of us to then say that it is entirely their fault or that they suffer illusions. The illusion is ours, that by shunning and dispossessing people for slight imperfections we only amplify them. Once upon a time there was a net of reasonable jobs that didn't pay well but allowed people a life, low-level government jobs that took anyone willing to work hard. But has anyone here looked at how hard it is to become a postal worker or to join the army? Ability and willingness is no longer enough. (I have relatives in the Canadian Armed Forces. The application process takes at least one and sometimes many years.)

devoply 9y ago
> Once upon a time there was a net of reasonable jobs that didn't pay well but allowed people a life, low-level government jobs that took anyone willing to work hard. But has anyone here looked at how hard it is to become a postal worker or to join the army? Ability and willingness isn't enough any more. This is all about Neoliberalism then isn't it. Privatize everything and then the privatized companies are highly competitive and only want the best and couldn't care less about the middle or the bottom. It's not about jobs, it's really never been about the jobs that's just rhetoric. It's about profits. And profits are stuck in large consolidated corporations that pay as little as possible to the middle and the bottom, preferably on contract or the "sharing" economy of contractors. For full-time employees with benefits they just want the top which is often overworked. I mean the economy was engineered to be like this specifically for the benefit of those with money.

mc32 9y ago

Recently I heard senator Warren speak of what she essentially described as the selling out of the middle class starting with Reagan and with the tacit support of democrats. When you see the effects of the maturation of an economy plus globalization, it's apparent it's not as simple as saying that beginning in the '80s the establishment sold out the middle class in favor of the elite. There is more at play. Japan has been suffering from the same issues, but somewhat differently due to some structural rigidity. Japan is, as they say, complicated. Work culture (at the extreme death from over work, but commonly getting home very late due to social obligations at work), gender roles (still difficult for women to achieve success on par with men), cost of living, hiring practices (must be hired before graduation) hyperactive brand awareness (the new cool thing minted by thirteen year olds must be had by virtually 50% of the pop) and to some degree idealization of a bohemian way of life and repudiation of their previous generations' attitudes toward work. All these things come together and result in a ~30year intractable malaise. If they could just get themselves to address the biggest issue, make it easier for women to work and succeed (opportunities, responsibilities, salaries, time off for family and bigly social expectations) they just might have a chance at improving things, but I'm not holding my breath.

stuartaxelowen 9y ago
To be fair, it's difficult for women to achieve the same station as men even in most forward thinking countries. Japan is far behind this for a variety of reasons, and I think the parent comment undersells how much of a problem this is for Japanese women.
- mc32 9y ago
  Understood --however, attitudes in Japan towards women in the workforce are, unevenly, about 60+ years behind other mature economies.
solidsnack9000 9y ago
Given the way that problems in Japan have effected the population -- many men as well as women are out of work; the phenomenon of hikkikomori affects predominately men; death by overwork affects men as well as women -- why do you think the "biggest issue" is making it "easier for women to work and succeed"?

ithinkinstereo 9y ago

Japan is a preview of what's coming to many developed western economies. I found this paragraph from the article disturbingly similar to the situation here in the states: "The rise in those shunning marriage, experts say, is due not only to more diverse life-styles but to an increase in low-paying, unstable jobs. Part-timers, temps or contract workers now account for nearly 40 percent of the workforce compared to about 20 percent in the 1980s." I imagine this will only be accelerated with the rise of AI and increasing job automation. Already, we're seeing the average age when people get married and have kids rise with each generation. I think alot of this is due to job instability, depressed wages, rise of the 1099 worker with no benefits, etc. Reminds me of the situation in China, where unless you have a house and a car, you're basically persona-non-grata. So if you're a young person in the US, you're doubly screwed. All your friends and potential dating partners are concentrated in the big cities, but those are also the places with the highest costs of living, highest costs to own a home, to raise a kid, etc. If you're mid 20s / early 30s person in San Fran and you're not working for GOOG/FB/APPL etc. you're basically screwed.

majormajor 9y ago
This is a rather narrow perspective. Lotta cheap big cities with lots of jobs if you're not on the coast. The people really screwed aren't the ones in Dallas, Atlanta, or Charlotte - where an average home is something like 200K and jobs can be found - they're the ones in dying small towns that have been left by businesses, or in the expensive coastal cities where they're caught up in the housing madness but without the high income or established wealth driving those prices. They'd be better off moving to, say, the Dallas area, but that's not an option for everyone. And "you have to pick up your life and say goodbye to everyone you know because the market says so" is hardly an outcome we should be promoting. (I'd also make the argument that we'd be better off getting more diverse perspectives into those cities, vs our current CA/NY/OR/WA-vs-the-rest-of-the-US silos, but that's another discussion, and a perfect example of "if you really believed that so deeply, why don't you move yourself?")
- zzzzzzzza 9y ago
  "you have to pick up your life and say goodbye to everyone you know because the market says so" is hardly an outcome we should be promoting. Disagree. If your town's way of life is based on for example, coal mining, then good riddance. Another example, perhaps the town is based on agriculture but drones cut the need for labor in half, some people will have to either learn some skill that can be applied remotely or move elsewhere to efficiently allocate their labor. The government (imo) shouldn't be "promoting" any lifestyle. Let the markets operate.

iphonethrowaway 9y ago

puts on they live glasses Marry, reproduce, consume! If you don't you're a parasite.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

mm4 9y ago

premiss is way off. it's not because they're single, but because they did not work they are in trouble... this article feels like social engineering - well juppies marry marry marry

ZenoArrow 9y ago
FYI, spelling of 'premiss' is 'premise'.

olivermarks 9y ago

Perhaps some of these people chose to live in a close family unit with their relatives through choice. This is how millions of people live in other cultures worldwide, caring for each other. No shame in that at all. This article appears to be pro rat race or be shamed...

marak830 9y ago
That is common here, I'm an Aussie with a Japanese wife, I just invited her grandparents to live with us. (Grab spa is old and grandma has to look after him, this way we can help, and grandma can help my wife when we have a child)
- Markoff 9y ago
  isn't it their own children who should take care of them? I find it odd they skipped one generation and they are going to burden you I think help from them with your child will be much less valuable (close to zero due to advanced age) than your help to them
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    Some people perform selfless acts because they're decent people.
responde 9y ago
I'm calling BS on this one. In as much as they chose to live in a close family unit, they should also pro-actively contribute financially to said close family unit, not lazy about with guitars and stupid songs.
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  You really need to learn to look past media bias. This is the view the article author is leading the reader to have, but the reality is likely to be much more complex. Just looking at the number of people who live at home with parents has no bearing on what got them there. Some may be actively looking for work but only able to find sporadic temp work. Others may be needed as a live-at-home carer to their elderly relatives. Some may be genuinely lazy. Some may be very hard working. There's literally none of this information conveyed in statistics alone, all you have in this article is a few hand-picked personal stories to present the view that the author wanted to convey.

member221 9y ago

My grandma had Parkinson's disease, she is about 80 years old it was detected 7 years ago. it was getting more difficult to live for her, because of stiff muscles she can't even move. L-dopa and carbidopa medicines are given, but won"t give much relief. She can"t eat food and the skin is damaging forming ganglia. This is may be the last stage of disease.. nothing was really working to help her condition. Finally she started on parkinson's herbal formula i purchased from Health Herbal Clinic, i read alot of positive reviews from other patients who used the parkinson's herbal treatment. she used the herbal remedy for 7 weeks, its effects on parkinson's is amazing, all her symptoms gradually faded away, she feed very more freely by herself now! (Visit www. healthherbalclinic. weebly. com or email at healthherbalclinic@ gmail. com) I recommend this Parkinson's herbal formula for all Parkinson's Patients.

member221 9y ago

finid 9y ago

In many societies, living with your parents is nothing unusual, especially if they own their own home.

adrianlmm 9y ago
Name 3 please.
- saint_fiasco 9y ago
  Paraguay, the Philippines and apparently Japan
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- verroq 9y ago
  China for one.
- vkou 9y ago
  Most former Soviet republics. This would be the case for pretty much any society where land and housing was not easily available. As housing is becoming increasingly unavailable in the United States, and population is still increasing, expect to see it here.
  - yellowapple 9y ago
    There's plenty of housing available in the U.S. The lack of housing availability is more localized to specific heavily-urbanized areas (like the coasts); as you move inland, property costs drop significantly.
    - vkou 9y ago
      As do employment prospects. When you need a job to survive, a house without a job is just as pointless as a job without a house. That housing may as well be on the moon for all the good it does.

nihonde 9y ago

Am I the only person who sees this as good news? There is a lot to learn from old people, and seniors often need the help at home.

6stringmerc 9y ago

I think it's hard for some non-US Citizens to understand how rather backwards and unwelcome the thought is for Grown Children as Adults to be living at home with their Parents. The cultural fabric of the US mentality is to grow up and achieve "Independence" as a general concept. That usually means living away from family, and having the means to do so. Culturally, living with one's Parents in the United States, as a grown Adult, with or without a Spouse, is going to be predominately portrayed as a negative lifestyle indicator. As in, the Individual doesn't have the choice of Independence, at least not the basic financial / living arrangements type. The "Sandwich Generation" label scares the ever loving spirit of freedom out of most US people who might find themselves caught between providing for both Kids AND Parents. Assimilation into values such as this US type of Independence are, understandably, quite foreign to several other Large Cultures elsewhere in the World. However, on this turf, it is the prevailing attitude. No amount of "Well in other countries it's perfectly normal" will turn the tide regarding this component of the US life experience, and, at least here, it's an indicator of a need to further assimilate or, unfortunately, deal with cultural push back. To be fair to the US, this happens when US people try to ascribe their values to other cultures as well. I get it. Two way street.

adventured 9y ago
I have some kind of fetish for saving interesting data images, so here's one for this (covering Europe + US): http://i.imgur.com/Ps8qQ4A.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Ps8qQ4A.jpg
- antisthenes 9y ago
  Overlay with unemployment and PPP per capita maps and you'll be starting to get a clearer picture.
- distances 9y ago
  It's worth noting that getting to the low percentages requires a society that subsidizes living costs. In the Nordic countries living with your parents as an adult implies some non-financial reason to do so; every adult will receive housing benefits for independent living if needed.

adrianlmm 9y ago

Nobody likes killjoys, and I see so much denial in these comments, yes, you will get old and the desitions you make today matter for your future even if you choose to ignore that fact and "live for the moment".

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Markoff 9y ago

I missed in the article what is the percentage in other countries making Japan special with 20%. Btw. is there something wrong with it, if parents and the men are fine with that, what's the problem here? At least parents will have someone to take care of them, my wife's uncle is in similar position and I don't see it as anything bad, at least other children with better jobs no need to take care of them. Or the preffered option is to dump own parents to retirement home and stay in your own apartment, if someone has no problem with the other option?