Difficulties of Arranged Marriage : The Images of Commercial Matrimonial Agencies Held by Their Clients

アレンジド　マリッジ　ノ　コンナン　ケッコン　ジョウホウ　サービス　カイイン　チョウサ　カラ

オオタキ, トモオリ

Otaki, Tomoori

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ シャカイガク ニンゲンガク ジンルイガク ケンキュウシツ

Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

恋愛結婚イデオロギー

コンピュータ・コーディング

arranged marriage

love match ideology

computer eoding

This paper explores the image of Japanese Marriage Information Service, agencies that help their clients to find their partners and in so doing the general image of marriage for the ordinary Japanese young people. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Association of Marriage Information Service. The majority of the members participating the survey expressed their reluctance to enroll in such agencies. Analyzing the reasons of their reluctance it turned out that they have two serious dilemmas. As some of the other surveys pointed out，even in the developed and democratic societies arranged marriage does not disappear, because it provides people with a sort of “ feeling of relief." However, most people get this "feeling of relief″at the expense of the stress brought by the dilemmas they feel when they decide to use the agencies. The negative images of those matrimonial agencies held by the members of the services would be changed, if more and more people use the services and the society acknowledges such agencies as one of the possible devices to stop the declining birthrate.