What does this ため say here?


> かたい帯を上手に結ぶことができない若い女性が多い **ため** 、柔らかい帯を去年より３０％増やしたと言っています。

From <http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10010984931000/k10010984931000.html>

I would translate it as follows (without ため):

> They say that there are many young women who can't tie a hard Obi, from last
> year the number of soft obi has increased by 30%.

I can't find an entry on jisho on ため and I can't remember having seen it on my
textbook either :/




It means "because". It could be replaced with から or ので. It's used in writing
more than in ordinary speech. Sales of soft obi have gone up "because" many
young women can't tie stiff obi. (I'd go for "stiff" rather than "hard".) ため
can also mean "for the sake of", as in 人民の、人民による、人民のための政治 "Government of the
people, by the people, for the people"




It means "because". It could be replaced with から or ので. It's used in writing
more than in ordinary speech. Sales of soft obi have gone up "because" many
young women can't tie stiff obi. (I'd go for "stiff" rather than "hard".) ため
can also mean "for the sake of", as in 人民の、人民による、人民のための政治 "Government of the
people, by the people, for the people"

