2020 Volume 17 Pages 67-83
There has been social pressure upon stepfamily members into behaving as if they belonged to a conventional nuclear family, in spite of the fact that stepfamilies
tend to have uniquely complex family structures. Who should be parents of
children in stepfamilies is defined by social institutions such as family laws regarding
custody arrangement after parental divorce, adoption of stepchildren,
and family register system, and by underlying family values. The definition, in
turn, leads adult members in stepfamilies to such behaviors. These behaviors
then affect children’s well-being negatively. Researchers in Japan are not duly
interested in this process. These conventional stepfamilies of the scrap and
build household or substituting parent model are based upon the assumptions;
⑴ parent-child relations presuppose parental marital relations, ⑵ the existence
of one of the parents and its values are disregarded or underestimated, ⑶ a
stepparent is expected to substitute the vacant parent’s position, ⑷ a custodial
parent and his/her new partner（ stepparent） tend to form a parenting team just
like a first married family, and ⑸ a stepfamily is a household unit whose members
share the same interests. These assumptions are critically examined in contrast
to the ideas guiding emerging stepfamilies in the expanded and intercon︲
nected network or continuing parent model. Challenges for more child-centered
policies and new directions in supporting stepfamilies are also discussed.
