Three hundred years ago, during the mid Edo era, it was not unusual for women to get married at the age of 18. However, since the end of the Edo era to the beginning of the Meiji era, the average age of women’s first marriage steadily rose. By the end of the Edo and Meiji eras, Japanese society was gradually moving away from the "a state of child marriage", with more and more people marrying late.

There were many reasons behind the tendency to marry late. One of them being the increase in the number of women who migrate to work outside their homes and villages to earn money.

Another noteworthy aspect at the end of the Edo and Meiji eras was Japan’s high divorce rate. In 1888, the special divorce rate was 33.2%, implying that one in every three marriages ended in divorce. This is as high as or higher than the current rate, and is also higher than Western countries during the same period.

From such records, we can guess that both marriage and divorce were not taken so seriously in the society during that timeframe. Moreover, remarriage was common and women’s employment opportunities increased during this period, thus enabling them to become their family’s breadwinner.

The silk reeling industry, which produces raw silk from cocoons, was an important foreign currency earner that supported Japan before World War II. Most of the workers were women, earning a relatively high wage. In the largest producing area, the Suwa region in Nagano Prefecture, tens of thousands of women from neighboring prefectures migrated to earn high wages.

Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, a local newspaper, narrated stories of many women who worked there. According to an article titled “Many Women Workers are Divorced,” women tended prefer being divorced rather than feel restrained by their husbands. (after experiencing the "ease" of "self-employment")

Women workers at the Suwa silk reeling factory worked in a competitive environment. They were evaluated according to a strict performance-based system. So, they had the courage to say, “workers are free laborers, not bound in any way by their employers.” Here are some scenes from the daily lives of these women after working hours.

“Kakaa Denka and Karakkaze” refers to the specialty of Gunma Prefecture, where sericulture, the silk reeling industry, and the textile industry contributed hugely to the economy. Women had many opportunities to work alongside men, and they could earn a livelihood on their own. Therefore, it was said that the wife’s position and voice in the household were strong. Foreigners who visited Japan during the end of the Edo era to the beginning of the Meiji era recorded similar findings in their report on women’s position as the working class.

Thus, to eliminate child marriage, we need to work for the empowerment of women. How can this be achieved? We may find some important clues in the abovementioned period.