Original Article
Experiences and Social Networks of Vietnamese Women in Japan During Pregnancy and Childcare
2025 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 47-58
Details
2025 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 47-58
Purpose
To clarify experiences and social networks of Vietnamese women living in Japan during pregnancy and childcare.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured interviews with five Vietnamese women who gave birth and raised their children in Japan, despite not speaking Japanese at the time of childbirth. Using a prepared interview guide, we asked them to share their pregnancy and childcare experiences, and how they gathered information through social networks.
Results & Discussion
The average age of study participants was 32.2 years (range: 29 to 35 years). The average length of stay in Japan was 7.2 years (range: 4 to 12 years). We generated fourteen categories to clarify their pregnancy and childcare experiences, and eight categories to shed light on their social networks.
Although the study participants were satisfied with Japan’s health checkup and vaccination systems, they experienced anxiety owing to differences in delivery management practices between Japan and Vietnam, and felt that childcare support in Japan did not meet their expectations. These may be due to the unclear role of public health nurses.
Social networks primarily consisted of “carefully chosen relationships”. They relied on their husbands and gathered information independently, using both the internet and advice from fellow Vietnamese. They recognized the value of Japan’s childcare support when given opportunities to connect. As their children grew, they gradually expanded their relationships with Japanese people.
Conclusions
We found that the women had a favorable view of Japan’s health checkup and vaccination systems. However, they were anxious because Japan’s delivery management practices differed from those of Vietnam. The role of public health nurses was unclear. Their social networks consisted of carefully chosen relationships with both Japanese and fellow Vietnamese, primarily sourcing information from fellow Vietnamese and the internet.
