Mori Art Museum presents "MAM Art Course," a series of educational courses exploring diverse facets of contemporary art. The courses are divided into three themes, A, B and C * Art, Business and Culture * and investigate the complex web of relations that exists between art and society. In 2008, a total of four courses were given by artists, critics and political scientists, each providing an opportunity to think about art from a different perspective. The six courses held in 2009 explored the role of art fairs, documentation and copyright issues in contemporary art as well as new possibilities for democracy in Japan.
The 11th course * and the first to be held in fiscal 2010 * will be held on Tuesday,1 June with sociologist Ueno Chizuko, provides an opportunity to think about the future for Japanese people who choose to remain single, in the context of this nation's decreasing and rapidly aging population.

"MAM ART COURSE 2010" *Japanese-English simultaneous interpretations available
No.11 "Around Forty: The Life of the Single Working Woman"
The so-called "Around Forty" generation is the generation of Japan's equal opportunity employment laws, the generation that has been the harbinger of such demographic shifts as increases in the numbers of men and women marrying late in life or not marrying at all, and decreases in the number of children being born. 15% of women between the ages of 35 and 39 are single, and in major cities that percentage is over 30%. For contemporary women, being single is no longer a preliminary step before marriage, but a lifestyle choice in itself. In this lecture, we examine the "Around Forty" generation from a sociological perspective, looking at its past, its background, the issues surrounding it and what the future holds.

Date: 19:00-21:00 Tuesday, 1 June, 2010
Lecturer: Ueno Chizuko (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo; Sociologist
Capacity: 250 (Bookings Required)
Venue: Tower Hall, Academyhills, 49F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
Organizers: Mori Art Museum, Academyhills
Corporate Sponsor: UBS Group
Admission: Adult 1,000yen Student & MAMC Member 500yen
Details/Bookings: Mori Art Museum website
Enquires: Public Programs, Mori Art Museum
Tel: 03-6406-6101 Fax: 03-6406-9351 E-mail: ppevent-mam@mori.co.jp

Ueno Chizuko
Born 1948. Acquired a Ph.D. in sociology from Kyoto University. Assumed current position after teaching and conducting research at various universities. A pioneer and leading theorist in the fields of women's and gender studies, in which she specializes. Recently has explored the problem of care for the elderly.
Author of many books, including "The Modern Family in Japan: Its Rise and Fall," for which she received the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities, in 1994. Other works, such as "Ohitorisama no Rogo (Old age and the single working woman)" and "Otoko Ohitorisama Dou (The life of the single working man)" have become bestsellers.
Her latest book is "Hitori no Gogo ni (An afternoon alone)."