In Japan, it was found that internal dating and marriages between colleagues thereby decreased significantly after the corona crisis.
According to birth trend data from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 7th, only about two out of 10 of 21.4% of married couples between July 2018 and June 2021, including the corona period, ‘developed in company love’. couples. . Between July 2015 and June 2018, before the corona, it reached 28.2%. In addition, in a poll carried out last year by the Japanese marriage information company ‘Dameni’ for newcomers to society, only 32% of respondents said they would like to have an office relationship. This is a decrease from the same survey in 2017 (38.2%).
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun pointed out that “Japan was called the ‘power of office love’ in the past, and there were many cases where men and women working in the same workplace dated and even succeed in marriage.” It was a regular course for female workers to meet a male colleague with a higher salary and rank, get married and become a housewife around the age of 30.
However, it is analyzed that internal dating has plummeted due to social distancing during the corona period. Opportunities to meet have decreased as conversations and meetings at work have decreased and as telecommunications have been implemented. The rapid popularity of ‘blind date apps’ through the corona is also a factor. According to a survey by Japan’s Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance, 22.6% of couples who got married last year said that “a blind date app is an opportunity to meet”. After using the app, it became easier to meet people who matched the conditions and tastes.
The reasons for this trend are the active entry of Japanese women into society and narrowing of the gender pay gap. The wage gap between men and women in Japan narrowed from 28,100 yen (about 280,000 earned) in 2002 to 18,500 yen (about 180,000 earned) last year. Then, it is interpreted that the perception “even if you marry a company colleague, a prosperous life is not guaranteed” has spread.
In addition, the mindset of the MZ generation, which differentiates between public and private, is also identified as a cause. They say they are not willing to risk spreading bad rumors in the workplace or breaking relationships with colleagues while dating in the office.
