Abstract
This study aims to review demographic and sociological literature on determinants of trends toward marriage postponement in developed societies, particularly Japan. First, factors cited by Japanese and Western scholars are compared. Second, three analytical frameworks for nuptiality determinants [Dixon, 1970; UN 1988; and McDonald, 1981] are reviewed, and an integrated one is devised based on them as well as Bulatao and Lee's [1983] analytical framework for fertility determinants and mine [Kojima, 1988] for determinants of perinuptial coresidence of young adults with their parents. It includes three intervening variables (supply of mates, supply of economic resources for marriage, and demand for marriage) which mediate between macro-level demographic, socioeconomic and environmental changes and the marriage market.Based on this new framework, selected theories on determinants of age at marriage are classified. They include the marriage squeeze hypothesis, economic squeeze hypotheses (absolute and relative income hypotheses), the homogeneity hypothesis, value change hypotheses, the living arragement hypothesis, the women's status hypothesis, and economic theories of marital formation. Finally, empirical studies on Japan are reviewed to assess the relevance of each hypothesis to the Japanese society. Each seems to have some relevance, but it is difficult to assess the relative importancs of each because the results of empirical studies are not always consistent.
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