日本的中年“单身寄生族”

说到“啃老族”，大多数人先想到的是住在家里白吃白喝的年轻人。而现在日本却有大批的“中年啃老族”，最新调查显示，35至54岁和父母同住的日本人，2016年约有450万人。这些人不知道离开父母后如何生活，同时也对日本的老龄化社会构成了很大负担。

Millions of middle-aged singles in Japan still live with their elderly parents and depend on them financially, research has revealed, contributing to the county’s falling birth rate and ageing population.
调查显示，日本有数百万中年单身族依然与年迈的父母同住，并在经济上依赖父母。这加剧了日本出生率的下降和老龄化负担。

The country had an estimated 4.5 million unemployed — or under-employed — and unmarried 35- to 54-year-olds who still lived at home in 2016. They have been dubbed "parasite singles" by researchers.
2016年，有约450万失业或就业不充分的35岁至54岁的单身族与父母同住。他们被称为“单身寄生族”。

Sociologist Masahiro Yamada coined the term "parasite singles" in 1997.
社会学家山田正弘在1997年创造出这一词汇。

“During the ‘bubble economy’ until the mid-1990s, the 20-somethings were happily amusing themselves. They thought by the time they were in their 30s, they’d be married,” he told Reuters.
他告诉路透社说：“1990年代中期的泡沫经济时期，20多岁的年轻人只要自己过得开心就好。他们认为自己会在30多岁结婚。”

“But one-third never married and are now around age 50."
“但其中三分之一的人一直没结过婚，而现在他们已经50来岁了。”

About 20 percent of middle-aged stay-at-home singles rely solely on parents for support. When their parents pass away they could become a burden on the state.
大约20%的中年啃老族完全依靠父母的支持。一旦父母去世，他们会成为社会的负担。

But many "parasite singles" argue that they did not choose their lifestyle, but were handed it by the economy.
但很多单身寄生族辩称，这不是他们自己的选择，而是经济环境所迫。

（中国日报网英语点津 yaning）