Women and Family in Contemporary Japan
Susan D. Holloway
Language: English
Pages: 256
ISBN: 0521180376
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Japanese women have often been singled out for their strong commitment to the role of housewife and mother. But they are now postponing marriage and bearing fewer children, and Japan has become one of the least fertile and fastest aging countries in the world. Why are so many Japanese women opting out of family life? To answer this question, the author draws on in-depth interviews and extensive survey data to examine Japanese mothers' perspectives and experiences of marriage, parenting, and family life. The goal is to understand how, as introspective, self-aware individuals, these women interpret and respond to the barriers and opportunities afforded within the structural and ideological contexts of contemporary Japan. The findings suggest a need for changes in the structure of the workplace and the education system to provide women with the opportunity to find a fulfilling balance of work and family life.
that mothers tended to be warmer and more affectionate with their children than fathers, noting “a tendency in the traditional family for the enforcement of family control to be somewhat weakened by a contrary tendency for the mother to indulge every wish of her sons” (1958, p. 140). The “professional housewife” of the 1960s and 1970s was expected to devote her energy exclusively to managing the home and providing a warm, supportive atmosphere for her husband and children. Lebra (1984) has argued
going perfectly right now. He is more reasonable than adults. If I am right, I think that I am good at directing my child. It’s a very easy way of raising children. However, she was becoming increasingly aware that her daughter, two years younger than her son, was neither a high achiever nor particularly well mannered. Again, Mari used the status of her child to evaluate her own performance as a parent, but with her daughter, the evidence was not positive: Hansei: The Process of
the amae of small children includes communication. It’s like being very intimate or being needy towards parents. But when the child enters kindergarten or elementary school, it is time for the child to discipline their amae. If the parent didn’t do anything about it, it wouldn’t be good for the child. Then when the child grew up, amae would become a kind of expectation that others would do things for him even though he could do them himself. That’s why I think the word amae can mean so many
clean up. He would often refuse, saying that he wanted to continue playing with the toys after dinner. From that point on, her behavior often escalated to more coercive techniques as she became more frustrated: The first time I can say it very calmly but when he responds like that, I start thinking, “No, that’s not what you are supposed to say.” But then if he responds again with excuses, I become upset and say with a very loud voice, “No, you clean up!” Then he cleans up in a sullen manner. I
numerous subdivisions whose members were ranked and had little social mobility. Subsequent to the Meiji Restoration, this social status system broke down and was gradually replaced by a system of social class that depended on material wealth and educational attainment (Sand, 2003). During this time of social upheaval, a powerful ideology of self-advancement (risshin shusse) emerged. Parents’ role in schooling became much more explicit and more important as their children’s future quality of life