From 'Men Pursuing' to 'Women Taking Initiative': Married Women Make Twice as Many Proactive Approaches

The IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute, operated by IBJ Inc.—Japan’s leading company in creating marriages*¹ (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kengo Tsuchiya)—has conducted an analytical survey based on data from 33,925 women who have participated in and married through marriage counseling services. The results revealed that women who married had more than twice the level of activity compared to those who did not.

While traditional values often emphasize 'men taking the lead' or the idea that 'men prefer to pursue women,' this survey reveals new insights into the correlation between proactive behavior (number of approaches) and marriage success, based on the actual activity patterns of women who successfully married.

Gender Difference in Marriage Speed: About 60% of Women Marry Within 9 Months

Figure 1: Duration of activity until marriage in matchmaking services, by gender. Approximately 60% of women marry within 9 months.

When comparing the composition of membership duration until marriage by gender, the percentage of women who married and left within 'less than 9 months' was 60.2%, surpassing men's 50.3% by 9.9 percentage points. Particularly among women, the majority are concentrated in the 'less than 6 months (31.9%)' and '6 to 9 months (24.0%)' ranges, revealing that over half of all women find partners and leave (marry) without waiting a full year. This suggests that in today’s matchmaking services, women are increasingly adopting 'efficient and proactive decision-making with clear time goals (cost-performance-oriented dating).'

Men’s Approaches to Women: 48 per Month for 20s, 25 for 40s

Figure 2: Age-based trend (median) of monthly matchmaking applications received by women who married. Women in their 20s receive twice as many as those in their 40s.

When comparing the number of monthly matchmaking applications received from men (hereinafter 'received applications'—median) by women who married, distinct age-related trends emerged. Women in their 20s received the highest number at 48.5 per month, approximately double the rate of women in their 40s (24.8 per month), indicating that younger women receive more matchmaking offers. However, women in their 40s still receive 24.8 applications per month, and those in their 50s receive 13.8, showing that stable matchmaking opportunities are consistently generated across all age groups.

*In marriage counseling services, 'applications' lead directly to meetings upon mutual matching, making this a direct indicator of actual encounters.

Married Women Are 'Twice as Active' as Unmarried Women

Figure 3: Comparison of 'activity levels' (median) between women who married and those who did not. Married women made 26 applications and had 11 meetings.

Women who married made approximately 2.0 times more applications (26) and 2.2 times more meetings (11) compared to those who did not marry, clearly demonstrating more proactive outreach. As married women increased their own applications (activity), their number of meetings (opportunities to meet) also remained at a high level. Proactive actions are deeply linked to securing meeting opportunities, and the 'proactive attitude of creating one’s own opportunities' appears to be a key factor in increasing the likelihood of marriage.

Weekly Release of 'Latest Data' from Analysis of 19,112 Married Individuals

Going forward, we will sequentially release new data such as 'Prefecture Rankings Where Older Women Marry More Frequently' and 'The Reality That People Who Drink Alcohol Are More Likely to Marry.'

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Media Inquiries and Data Requests We can provide detailed explanations, additional materials, and interviews with responsible personnel regarding this data.

IBJ Public Relations: pr@ibjapan.jp

Request for Data Citation and Reproduction

Our company holds the copyright to this data. When citing or reproducing the survey data, please clearly credit 'IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute.' We would also appreciate a link to our website (https://www.ibjapan.jp/mirai-lab/).

Overview and Assumptions of This Report's Data ● Data Basis: All data in this report is based on activity within 'marriage counseling services.' Terms such as 'matchmaking meeting' and 'dating' refer to processes specific to marriage counseling services. ● Research Body: IBJ Inc. (IBJ Marriage Future Research Institute) ● Target Population: Members of the IBJ Marriage Counseling Network (those who married and left, and those who left without marrying) ● Sample Size: 19,112 individuals who married and left in 2025 (9,543 women, 9,569 men)

* Women: 9,543 married and left, 24,382 left without marrying (total 33,925) * Duration and age-based statistics are based on 19,099 individuals (9,538 women, 9,561 men) with recorded membership duration (excluding 13 without records) ● Median Metrics: Membership duration, number of meetings, number of dating relationships, number of applications sent, number of applications received ● Membership Duration Categories: 6 levels (<3 months / <6 months / <9 months / <1 year / 1–2 years / 2+ years) ● Age Groups: 20s / 30s / 40s / 50s * Figures include external marriages (cases where members dated and married someone they met outside the counseling service)

About the IBJ Group

Through comprehensive support beyond mere matching, IBJ creates more marriages (engagements) than any other company in Japan*¹. By combining heartfelt human support with IT, we operate a unique marriage counseling network. Our business scope is expanding from marriage as a goal to life design support aimed at 'a happy life' beyond marriage.

Since our founding, we have upheld the unchanged mission of 'making everyone with connections happy.' In response to Japan’s serious challenge of population decline, we aim to contribute to a sustainable society by creating a cycle of happiness that begins with marriage.

Headquarters: 12F & 17F, Shinjuku First West, 1-23-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Representative: President & CEO Kengo Tsuchiya

Established: February 2006 (Founded: 2000)

Official Website: https://www.ibjapan.jp/

*¹ Japan Marketing Research Institute survey (Marriages: cumulative 2024, Members: as of December 2024, Market Research for Feb 2025 in designated areas) *Marriages: Number of marriages within the IBJ alliance