This research aims to clarify the role behavior in an earthquake as a case study of the Hyogoken Nanbu Earthquake on January 17, 1995. The data was obtained from the questionnaire survey which the Kinki Branch of the Architectural Institute of Japan(AIJ) had investigated for its members. This paper particularly focused on the relationships between family patterns and behavior items taken by respondents and their family. The behavior and the role behavior in the earthquake are as follows; 1. In the couple with an infant, the wife takes the protective behavior to the infant. And the husband seems to pay his attention rather to the inside of their dwelling than to the outside of it. 2. In the couple with a school age child(ren), both husband and wife continuously show safety confirming behavior to the family members. 3. In the couple with a grown-up child(ren), the role allotment among family members is not necessarily clear. 4. In the couple without child, there is no large differences between the behavior of husband and that of wife.
