"That means the longest period in a woman's life is after her kids have gone," says Masako Ishii-Kuntz, a professor of sociology at Ochanomizu University, in Tokyo. "Many empty-nesters have nothing left to do but care for their husband. They realized they should pursue their own hobbies and happiness."
东京御茶水女子大学的社会学教授石井真子说："这意味着女人生命中最长的一段时间是在孩子离家之后.许多空巢女性除了照顾自己的丈夫外没有其他任何事情可做.她们意识到应该去追求自己的爱好和幸福."
Dream catchers
追求各自的幸福
In recent years, celebrity endorsement has pushed sotsukon deeper into the mainstream.
在最近几年,名人的支持推动"卒婚"现象更加深入地进入了主流社会.
Most famously, in 2013, Japanese comedian Akira Shimizu and his wife announced they would graduate from marriage, and published a book "Sotsukon -- A New Form of Love."
最著名的例子是2013年,日本喜剧演员清水明和妻子宣布将从婚姻中"毕业",并出版了《卒婚：爱的新方式》一书.
While there are no official figures on how many couples in Japan have followed this path, a 2014 survey commissioned by Interstation architecture agency in Tokyo found a widespread desire to do so.
尽管没有具体的官方数字,但2014年由Interstation建筑事务所委托在东京进行的一项调查显示,人们有广泛的"卒婚"意愿.
Of the 200 married women polled, aged between 30 and 65 years old, 56.8% said they eventually wanted to graduate from marriage.
在接受调查的200位年龄在30至65岁的已婚妇女中,有56.8%的人表示,她们最终希望从婚姻中"毕业".
Retirement was the period of life most women identified as the ideal point to undertake sotsukon.
退休被大多数妇女当作是开始"卒婚"的理想时间点.
