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Related: About this forumHerbivores: the Men in Japan Who Don’t Want a Girlfriend
In large parts of the world, men are seen as the go-getters when it comes to relationships. When you ask around, it often turns out that the guy in the relationship was the first one to make a move, or at least he was very receptive when his other half hit on him. Also, when it comes to casual flings, there will not be many men who would say no to a beautiful woman propositioning them.
Not so with Japans soshoku danshi, often translated as herbivores or grass eaters. This term refers to men who are not interested in marriage or even having a girlfriend (and are also not gay), and was introduced by writer Maki Fukasawa in 2006. Of course there are men like this all over the world, but in Japan this group seems to be a lot larger than average: research done in 2010 concluded that around 60% of men in their 20s, and 70% of men in their 30s see themselves as grass eaters. What would be the driving factor behind this number?
With a world population that is ever-growing without enough resources to give everyone a comfortable existence, it seems like it is not such a large problem when people decide not to procreate. In Japan, however, this is happening on such a large scale that it is going to cause major trouble for future generations to sustain their elders and themselves. As Japan is a bit wary of mass immigration, with immigration laws being some of the strictest ones in the world, the government sees ramping up the birth rate as one of their most important tasks.
This is one of the reasons why it is important to find out what puts so many people off getting into a stable relationship, and having children. Many research studies have been carried out on the subject, and very often the unstable Japanese economy is blamed for the unwillingness of (especially men) to start a family. It is harder than before to find a steady job with good income, and at the moment there are many so-called freeters, people who get by working part-time jobs with usually abysmal pay.
http://jpninfo.com/33248
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Herbivores: the Men in Japan Who Don’t Want a Girlfriend (Original Post)
yuiyoshida
Nov 2015
OP
Meeting women, it's not "what are your interests", it's always, "what is your job".
Jesus Malverde
Dec 2015
#2
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)1. That illustration looks like it's Korean instead of Japanese
At any rate, one reason for the Japanese male's lack of interest in females is that females seem to lack interest in males. I know quite a few single Japanese ladies in their 20's, 30's and 40's, and nearly all of them show no interest in men as something other than curiosities. Heck, a lot of them don't seem to have grown out of their "boys are icky" stage.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)2. Meeting women, it's not "what are your interests", it's always, "what is your job".
There really is a disregard for what we consider normal attraction with much more emphasis on status and job.
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)3. Yeah, job and status are the most important factors
A lot of Japanese women won't even consider a man who's self-employed. Full-time jobs with the old zaibatsu companies are the most preferable.