子育て中の妻にとっての夫の位置づけ：

「夫の関わり」の観点から

抄録

　　The aim of this study was to examine husbands' cooperative involvement in child-rearing with their wives, wives' perceptions of this involvement, and the position of husbands in the eyes of their wives. In Study 1, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 mothers raising preschool children regarding their husbands' involvement in child-rearing, and the data obtained were analyzed using the KJ method. Results indicated that husbands were the most important and closest “co-parenting partners” for wives, and wives' expectations of their husbands tended to be maintained even when their husbands’ involvement in family matters failed reach the level expected by wives. That said, there were cases in which strong negative feelings toward the husband were generated.

　　In Study 2, cases of highly negative feelings toward husbands were identified based on the interview data from Study 1, and case studies were conducted. Results indicated that when husbands did not “accept their wives’ feelings” or they lacked “a sense of involvement,” wives felt that their expectations were betrayed, and a process of negative feelings toward their husbands as partners occurred. Particularly when there was no cooperative involvement by a third party other than the husband, the wife's expectations were focused on the husband, and her negative feelings toward the husband increased as she increasingly felt that her expectations had been betrayed. If, however, there was cooperative involvement from a third party other than the husband, wives' expectations of their husbands were dispersed, and the increase in negative feelings toward the husband and the deterioration of the marital relationship could potentially be curtailed.

　　The current results revealed that wives who are raising children are not only burdened by their family role itself but also have many psychological burdens, such as conflicts with their husbands who fail to reach the level of “co-parenting partners.” In order to reduce these burdens, husbands need to be “proactive” and “responsive” in their involvement in the family. In addition, support from society needs to be provided to reduce the burden on the family.