The purpose of this paper is to examine the social support of neighborhood adults and children’s life satisfaction. In addition, this study examines whether the effects of nonparental adults on children are contingent on the stage of children’s schooling. This survey was executed in Nagoya city in March 2008, the response rate being 33.3%. The sample for this analysis comprised 158 students in Grades 5-6 in primary school and in Grades 1-2 in junior high school and their mothers who are married and live with their husbands (N＝316). Multivariate analysis was conducted to examine 1) whether the social support of nonparental adults in the neighborhood for children is positively associated with their life satisfaction, 2) whether the association between social support of nonparental adults and children’s life satisfaction in the case of junior high school students is significantly stronger than that in primary school students. The results of the analysis suggested that nonparental adults’ support for children was positively associated with their life satisfaction. Moreover these effects were more marked for junior high school students compared with primary school students. These findings indicated that relationships between neighborhood nonparental adults and children were significant for the children’s life satisfaction and that the older the children’s age, the stronger the effect of social support of nonparental adults even after the affinity of parents, friends and teachers had been taken into account. In general, family relationships are thought to be critical for children’s social development. But this study shows that intergenerational relationships outside the family are also important for children’s outcomes.

  The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the estimation of satisfaction of couples towards the division of housework. The analysis was conducted on the basis of interviews with two groups in the age groups of 35-45 and 55-65 respectively. In terms of the two generations’ housework division of “wife principally responsible”, “husband principally responsible” or “marital cooperation”, it was found that husbands and wives within the two age groups tended to evaluate the importance of housework division in accordance with their respective occupations. But in the early middle-aged cohort, with the reinforcement of the market economy and the progressively intensive competition within the work environment putting more pressure on men, there was a tendency for responsibility for housework to fall to women. Under such circumstances, the wives felt no resentment. Mutual affection of the couples belonging to both age groups was another very important factor in the division of housework. In the late middle-aged cohort, however, division of housework was perceived to be affected by the characteristic life events of this generation, namely retirement and the fact that children had left home.

  Still today, about 70 percent of women are found to be full-time housewives when they become mothers for the first time. Childcare leave is a must for regularly employed workers and part time working arrangements are also provided. As a result, most mothers return to work as marginalized workers.

  What in company institutional systems, and factors and attitudes are successful in enabling females to continue work? Group interviews for different cohorts of workers, especially working mothers and homemakers, revealed several successful factors which encourage women to continue to work during child rearing. The group interviews were carried out from November 2008 to March 2009. Women who manage to work after childbirth share four common factors.

  The first is that working mothers who aspired to work continuously when they graduated from university or school chose jobs that are supportive to working mothers. Secondly working mothers had successful experiences in their jobs before pregnancy. The work motivation gained though such experience made them decide to continue to work. Thirdly husbands who enjoy economic affluence as a result of double incomes become helpful to working mothers. The fourth factor is the belief that a day nursery is good for children’s growth and mothers’ mental health.