It used to be that unmarried, single women over the age of 25 were made to feel rather uncomfortable. The phrase "hari no mushiro (sitting on needles)" springs to mind.
Ideally, a Japanese woman graduated from college, went to work for a couple of years and then tied the knot at 24. Once past this birthday, she was in danger of becoming kurisumasu keki (Christmas cake), a popular reference to how Christmas cakes plummeted in value after Dec. 25.
Age 25 was also called o-hada no magarikado (the turning point of a woman's skin) or shomikigen-gire (past the sell-by date). How's that for chauvinism and excessive youth-worship?