Rethinking Emerging Adulthood in Japan: Perspectives From Long-Term Single Women

Abstract For women who have resisted convention and remained single into their 40s in Japan, the transition into adulthood is elongated and ambiguous. Their identities and lifestyles challenge the postwar concept of maturity for women, which includes patience and self-sacrifice achieved through marriage and motherhood, a conception that was part of the formula for economic growth. Concentrating instead on broadening “self” (jibun) outside of family, single women face difficulties attaining adulthood (ichininmae) in the eyes of elders and even peers, unless they are economically successful or they care for parents. Emerging adulthood should be studied historically with attention to groups whose identities are under debate as a society changes. The historical–cultural logic of adulthood requires a nuanced, contextual definition of early adulthood, its aims, processes, and results.