Disillusioned by long hours at home alone and by demands from the older generation, Japanese women are marrying later, resulting in a sharp decline in the Japanese birth rate. Muriel Jolivet considers the reasons why Japanese women are finding it increasingly difficult to accept the terms and conditions of motherhood.

Japan: The Childless Society explores the major factors contributing to maternal malaise in Japan including:

* the 'Ten Commandments of the Good Mother'

* the changing role of the father

* education and careers

* nostalgia from older generations

Drawing on extensive interviews with Japanese women and translated into English for the first time, this innovative study examines the implications behind the declining birth rate and looks towards the future of a country that is in danger of becoming a 'childless society'.