Thread by @nytimes

An unmarried woman over 25 in Japan was once called a "Christmas cake," a slur referencing pastries that can’t sell after Dec. 25. Now so many women are choosing to be single, the slur is fading – and women are rejecting the double standard it's based on. nyti.ms/2yGgLYF

The trend is cultural and economic: More women are working in Japan than ever, but those who marry are still expected to bear the brunt of the housework and child care. Single women say they're choosing to focus on themselves and their careers instead. nyti.ms/31j8xCn

Some Japanese women like Kanae Ito, 25 and single, are staging weddings for themselves, complete with gowns and solo bridal portraits. Another, Sanae Hanaoka, 31, told a group of friends attending hers that she "wanted to figure out how to live on my own." nyti.ms/31j8xCn

In the mid-1990s, just one in 20 women in Japan had never been married by the time they turned 50. 20 years later, it was one in 7.

The trend has changed the way businesses operate, from women-only zones at karaoke salons to apartment complexes aimed at women on their own.

As a result, births are also tumbling. Last year, the number of babies born in Japan fell to the lowest level since at least 1899, when records began. Governments now try to bring couples together: Tokyo offers matchmaking tours and seminars for singles. nyti.ms/31j8xCn

But for many single Japanese women, the decision to stay single is as much about liberation as not finding a partner. And for some, their married friends serve as cautionary tales. nyti.ms/31j8xCn

女性のための一人カラオケブース。独身女性向けのマンション、本物の結婚式ではなく、ウェディングドレスを着てポートレートを撮りたい女性のための写真スタジオ。結婚しない女性の割合は過去最高を記録。nyti.ms/2yyvyES