BBC News : Japan women's singular contentment

Quote Originally Posted by BBC News
Seven out of 10 single Japanese women believe they can be perfectly happy remaining on their own, according to an opinion poll in the Yomiuri newspaper.
The number of women believing singledom can bring contentment has risen by 10% since 2003, the newspaper said.

Analysts say the results reflect the fact that staying single is no longer the social stigma it once was.
...
Yomiuri's nationwide survey found that 73% of single female respondents and 67% of single males agreed that women could be completely happy living on their own.

But the numbers fell with age. Of those in their 20s, 74% of male and females asked said they believed women could be happy if they did not marry.

The rate dropped to 66% for respondents in their 30s, and 58% for those in their 40s.
Watch out that "stay on their own" doesn't me "not have a/many sex partners". I think that the number of singles is increasing mostly for 2 reasons :
1) they are free to have as many sex partners as they want, and change anytime they want
2) they don't want to have children because it's a threat to their freedom and (libertine and extravagant) lifestyle.