考研阅读精选：亚洲结婚率下降-亚洲人孤独的心
『亚洲女性拒绝婚姻，这种现象有严肃的社会含意。』The decline of Asian marriage：Asia's lonely hearts
亚洲结婚率下降：亚洲人孤独的心
Aug 20th 2011| from The Economist
TWENTY years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific “Asian values”. Most attention focused on dubious claims by autocrats that democracy was not among them. But a more intriguing , if less noticed, argument was that traditional family values were stronger in Asia than in America and Europe, and that this partly accounted for Asia’s economic success. In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore and a keen advocate of Asian values, the Chinese family encouraged “scholarship and hard work and thrift and deferment of present enjoyment for future gain”.
On the face of it his claim appears persuasive still. In most of Asia, marriage is widespread and illegitimacy almost unknown. In contrast, half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are born outside wedlock .
Yet marriage is changing fast in East, South-East and South Asia, even though each region has different traditions. The changes are different from those that took place in the West in the second half of the 20th century. Divorce, though rising in some countries, remains comparatively rare. What’s happening in Asia is a flight from marriage.
Marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing getting hitched . Marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia. People there now marry even later than they do in the West. The mean age of marriage in the richest places—Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong—has risen sharply in the past few decades, to reach 29-30 for women and 31-33 for men.
A lot of Asians are not marrying later. They are not marrying at all. Almost a third of Japanese women in their early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be.
Women are retreating from marriage as they go into the woq�ky"http://kaoyan.koolearn.com/zhuanshuo/mt/" target="_blank">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"http://www.economist.com/node/21526350">http://www.economist.com/node/21526350
页:
[1]