In 1998 the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime dropped to 1.38, the lowest figure ever recorded. Since the children of the first generation of baby boomers are themselves now reaching childbearing age, people are keeping eye on trends in the birthrate with keen expectation. The Impact of Older Marriages One factor behind the declining number of children is that people are marrying later.
Japan has one of the highest percentages of single people in the world.
A growing number of these single people are staying under their parents' roofs, moreover, rather than living on their own. The parents of this generation worked during Japan's rapid-growth era and are relatively well off. Many own their own homes. Society's Expectations Grown singles living with their parents tend to be viewed as spoiled rich kids living off mom and dad, but some claim they are simply following tradition. In the past, parents looking after their children until they married was considered normal, and people believed that well-bred single young ladies should live at home.