Future of Intimacy and Couple Relationships

This paper is an inquiry about exclusive intimate relationships in the era of postindustrialized society based on relevant empirical studies in the field. After the age of societies of male-breadwinner model, we are witnessing an ongoing remobilization of female labor. Although a variety within advanced countries exists, women's income level has been gradually increased. So far the women's economic independence, however, has not have an effect to weaken our inclination to form couple relations. Nevertheless, couple relations are suffering serious changes as seen in the increase of cohabitation. This paper poses three questions pertaining the transformation of couple relations: are the relationship getting free from external factors such as social status?; are the continuous, committed relationships declining?; is exclusivity of relationship waning? Those questions are answered mainly using results of empirical investigations about the cohabitation and marriage. Further, this paper poses a question whether a relationships or satisfaction from it is more often understood as a result of voluntary choice once economic conditions for autonomous lives both for men and women is achieved. I argue that it does not necessarily the case and whether a person can find a satisfactory intimate relationship is never understood as personal responsibility. I also argue that unlike the public redress for accidental loss of economic life conditions, loss by the lack of successful relationships will never be considered as an object of pubic aid. Those questions about voluntary intimate relationships, however, do not have strong relevance in Japanese society where practice of intimacy is still constrained by different life chances by gender.