trend toward staying unmarried; declining marriage rate
Sociological term describing a societal shift where more people remain unmarried, often contrasted with 晩婚化 (trend toward later marriage).
See also: 晩婚化
In Japan, the trend toward staying unmarried is advancing.
Economic reasons lie behind the declining marriage rate.
Compound of 未婚 (unmarried) and 化 (-ization, trend toward).