Japanese Women
The stark career-or-kids choice in Japan has created a demographic nightmare. Because Japanese women are expected to quit their jobs when they have children, a record number are foregoing marriage altogether. Some 25% of Japanese women in their early 30s are now single, up from 14% a decade ago. As a consequence, Japan’s fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.29 in 2004 compared to 2.13 in the U.S., giving it one of the lowest birth rates in the world.