Looking back to the past two seminers, the following points stand out: (1) the trend of family changes is not unilineal but multilineal, (2) families which depart from major trends are not deviant but variant, and (3) the nuclear family based on sex role differentiation seems to be losing its vital role through the change from industrial to post-industrial society.
Concerning the contemporary Japanese family, some see crisis and others see stability. Such a difference seems to be derived from differences in their perspective. If we look at the national statistics, the general features of the Japanese family are quite stable, because the rates of divorce, of one-parent family, and of illegitimate children are lower than those of most industrial nations. However, if we focus on internal factors seen through case studies, we can easily find tensions and conflicts within the family. We should pay more attention to various aspects of the family which differ from the averages.
Contrary to what is widely accepted, today is not a time of family crisis but a time of crisis in family sociology, which has yet to develop suitable theories in the post-industrial society.

抄録全体を表示

This study aims to review demographic and sociological literature on determinants of trends toward marriage postponement in developed societies, particularly Japan. First, factors cited by Japanese and Western scholars are compared. Second, three analytical frameworks for nuptiality determinants [Dixon, 1970; UN 1988; and McDonald, 1981] are reviewed, and an integrated one is devised based on them as well as Bulatao and Lee's [1983] analytical framework for fertility determinants and mine [Kojima, 1988] for determinants of perinuptial coresidence of young adults with their parents. It includes three intervening variables (supply of mates, supply of economic resources for marriage, and demand for marriage) which mediate between macro-level demographic, socioeconomic and environmental changes and the marriage market.
Based on this new framework, selected theories on determinants of age at marriage are classified. They include the marriage squeeze hypothesis, economic squeeze hypotheses (absolute and relative income hypotheses), the homogeneity hypothesis, value change hypotheses, the living arragement hypothesis, the women's status hypothesis, and economic theories of marital formation. Finally, empirical studies on Japan are reviewed to assess the relevance of each hypothesis to the Japanese society. Each seems to have some relevance, but it is difficult to assess the relative importancs of each because the results of empirical studies are not always consistent.

抄録全体を表示

This paper aims at discussing possible future changes in role differentiation in the family caused by an increase of wives'labor market participation. For this purpose, a qualitative approach was taken rather than a simulational analysis based on macro data.
The first condition in the future which can be predicted at this moment would be an advancement of class stratification by occupation that females belong to, as a result of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. Then, males' participation in house keeping and social activities would incease with an improvement of general working conditions such as a flex-time system and reduction of total working hours. Total working hours for household chores also will decrease as a result of more availability in purchasing home-aid services. Even if they are unemployed, more wives tend to participate in social activities.
Predictable statements expected in this case are as follows :
1) Equality at workplace would proceed gender equality in family.
2) Ideology and an actual practice would not develop in parallel regarding role differentiation and equality by sex. For instance, the husband may share household chores but does not neccessarily retain an egalitarian ideology.
3) Type of role sharing would differ depending on household type and their marital relationships and it also would be diversified by their resource such as the possibility of using household-aid services and help from their kin.

抄録全体を表示

This is a study no the elderly in a very rural area where the population has rapidly decreased, particularly after the 1960s.Young people in search of jobs in big cities have caused significant population decrease in rural areas. On the contrary, the populayion of the Tokyo metropolitan area has grown enormously.
Ohura-cho has lost half of its population since 1960. According to a study on Ohura-cho in 1986, the average family from 102 samples decreased from 4.6 person to 1.9 person during the past 26 years. The main reason for this decline is due to the fact that high school students immediately moved out after graduation. As a result, the elderly have remained there. At the time of this research, 21.6 percent of the elderly were living with their adult children; 44.1 percent with their spouse, and 33. 3 percant alone. Less than half of them subsist only minimum pensions averaging less than 30.000 yen (about 200 dollars at that time) per month. This amount is smaller than half of the welfare payment of a single elderly recipient.

抄録全体を表示

Firstly, this work examines of the '80s and the present problems of the Japanese family. How has the family been affected by the tremendous economic and social changes brought by rapid economic growth, and the structural recession that followed it? We will find the affluence is barely skin-deep. We pay attention to the working hours, housing, and so on. Creative plans are needed. There is no place for the elderly in Japan. The birty rate is decreasing and the strain on children is inc reasing. We also must consider changes in the configuration of the family. We notice diversity in the configuration. At the same time, We find icreasing self-reliance of members in the family, especially in the wife.
Secondly, this work examines how family sociology copes with the Japanese family in transition. We have to confront the problem of the Japanese family acccurately. We have to verify the quality of life. We have to propose a scheme for new policies of qovernment. We have to appreciate the signs of diversity and self-reliance in the family.

抄録全体を表示

The purpose of this study is to clarify the sturucture of the norms which determine the Japanese attitudes toward supporting elderly parents. The concept of Ie has long been used in explaining the support system for elderly parents in Japan. owever, such an explanation creates confusion because of the following reasons : that is, Ie is a very ambiguous, and multidimensional concept, and the whole structure of “norms” cannot fully be explained simply in relation to whether the Ie is still existing or not.
Thus I tried to analyze the support system without relying on the Ie concept. Four norms (vertical, horizontal, dotted and dimensional) were found as the result of analyzing factors in the data from the survey conducted in Sapporo City, Hokkaido in 1988. The vertical norm was found in a lineage relationship. This means that the younger generation supports the older generation. The horizontal norm means that the members of the same group support each other. The dotted norm is used for the self-supporting situation and the dimensional norm is used when the anonimous majority (society) support the elderly. Besides these four norms, there seems to exist the situation which stresses the responsibility of the eldest son. This factor determines the combination and selection of one of these four norms. We may conclude that the structrure of norms for supporting elderly parents in contemporary Japan is rather stable but also

抄録全体を表示

Topics about today's family problems and women's roles are debated very actively recently. In this context, there is an interst in how “the modern family” and sexual division of labor emerged in the study of family history and women's studies.
The ideology of motherhood emerged during the period of the women's liberation movement at the biginning of this century : Ellen Key was known as a typical thinker about motherhood at that time. Through her thought, I believe we can understand how people, especially women came to accept the idea of “two-sexes-different-but-equal” favorably in those days. Her position on this should be clarified in this paper. To understand this better, the socio-economical circumstances at that time in Sweden, her home country, are considered.
She insisted that women shold be seen not as “humankind” but as “womanhood.” She thought mtherhood was the very essential core part of womanhood, so she insisted that every wife or mother should stay home all day long, and put her children first, and that that was very rewarding work. Such ideas are considered to contribute to the formation of the ideology that women's place is in the home, by giving high priority to love, marriage and motherhood.

抄録全体を表示

Sosial network studies in family sociology have mainly been in the areas of kin network and family support. This paper attempts to analyze the network pattern of urban families by using the concept of “tie strength.” Two specific attentions given to are : 1) a social class comparison, and 2) the pattern of activation of social network as resources.
From a set of family network data collected in 1976, we have found that : 1) the component of family network on the basis of tie strength differs by social class, and that 2) the resource mobilizati on pattern also differs by social class. Above findings seem to suggest positive directions leading tow ard more general theory building in social network studies.

抄録全体を表示