Independent Analysis: Correlation Between 'Female Body Shape and Marriage Success Rate' Reveals Gap Between 'Thinness-Oriented' Ideals and Matchmaking Market Evaluations

Survey Overview IBJ, Inc., which facilitates the highest number of successful marriages in Japan, conducted an independent study on the 'correlation between body shape (BMI/weight classification) and marriage success rate' in the matchmaking market, based on data from 32,619 women who were active in and successfully married through marriage consultation services.

The results of this survey reveal that for women with a BMI under 26, there are no extreme differences in success rates among BMI categories, overturning the general image that 'the thinner you are, the easier it is to get married.' Furthermore, the weight of women who successfully married was distributed widely from under 45kg to over 65kg, suggesting a gap exists between societal 'thinness-oriented' values and the actual evaluation criteria in the matchmaking field.

Body Shape Affects Men More Than Women When analyzing marriage success rates by BMI category for both genders, men showed the highest success rates between BMI 20-22, with success rates tending to decline as BMI increases beyond that. Conversely, for women, a BMI of 18-20 (often considered 'model/beauty' weight) did not demonstrate a particularly high success rate, and within the range of BMI under 26, the difference in success rates remained at only about 2-3 percentage points.

No 'Weight Threshold' Exists in the Matchmaking Market When analyzing the marriage success rate of women who left the service upon marriage by weight category (in 5kg increments), success rates remained at a stable level of around 30% across all weight brackets, from under 44kg to over 65kg. This data indicates that there is no clear 'weight threshold' in the matchmaking market that suggests one must be under a certain weight to get married.

Gap Between Market Evaluations and Women's Perceived Evaluation Criteria These results suggest that in the matchmaking market, differences in success rates due to body shape are limited, and a woman's body shape is not strictly emphasized in the selection of a marriage partner. This contrasts with the perception often discussed in women's media and social media that 'being thin is advantageous,' and indicates the possibility that the actual evaluations in the matchmaking market do not necessarily align with general beauty ideals or the drive to be thin.