Promotion Services for Home Living Improvement and Women’s Associations in the Postwar Reform Era:

A Case Study on Shimane Prefecture

Abstract

Promotion services for home living improvement were established after the war as a measure for improving the status of women in rural areas. This measure was implemented through home living improvement groups under the guidance of home advisers. With respect to the formation of home living improvement groups, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had developed a policy that excluded the use of existing organizations such as women’s associations.
The objective of the present study is to elucidate the relationship between the promotion services for home living improvement and women’s associations in Shimane Prefecture, where the policies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry were not adhered to.
Our findings are summarized as follows.
Shimane Prefecture executed promotion services for home living improvement under the original policies. The formation of groups was implemented through women’s associations, who contributed to the development of promotion services for home living improvement.