The
Japanese family is one that has made many changes since World War II.
Below are the different types of families
that have been found in Japan since World War II. |
TYPE OF FAMILY |
CHARACTERISTICS |
Traditional Family |
- gender-based roles
- patriarchal head
and hierarchy by birth
- entire family lives in
one household (extended family included)
- family business is passed
from father to oldest son; younger brothers can branch out
- daughters married into
other families.
- marriage was a connection
between households
- the mother trained both
daughters and daughters-in-law in their duties.
- investigations are done
into families and individuals before a marriage takes place
- Popular before WOrld War
II and immediately afterwards.
|
The Modern Family |
- one person per room living
quarters.
- men worked outside the
home
- women cared for children
and parents.
- children are not given
private rooms until junior high or high school age when they need
to study for exams.
- privacy is not really available.
- more popular in the late
1940s to 1950s
|
The "Salaryman" Family |
- the husband works outside
the home and often outside the immediate neighborhood. The work week
is 6 days a week and the husband is rarely home.
- The father did not socialize
outside of work until he retired. Often the husband and wife did
not have much in common.
- the wife oversees the house
and the children.
- Sometimes the wife did
work at home.
- wives became "education
mothers" (kyoiku mama) through helping their children
(particularly sons prepare for important entrance exams
- popular in the 1950s and
1960s
|
The "New
Family" |
- marriage focused more
on love than before often the spouses wanted to remain friends
- husband is more involved
in household affairs traditionally under the wife's control.
- family activities grow
more popular
- women are more educated
and get involved in community activities, but retain their traditional
roles of caring for children, husband, and parents-in-law.
- popular in the 1970s and
on.
|
Facts about the Modern Japanese
Family |
- average age to get married
is on the rise(29 for men and 25 for women)
- education increased for
men and women
- more women work outside
the home before marriage
- education gap between husband
and wife is decreasing; making the wife more educated
- almost 40% of Japanese
women feel that if a woman can support herself she does not need
to get married
- Japanese women have the
longest life span in the world today (81 years)
- caring for the elderly
is still the oldest son's responsibility.
- daughters are now encouraged
to have a skill that they can use to earn money from home. For example
computer programming.
- love is not considered
an acceptable sole reason to be married.
- the traditional practice
of investigations of people and families are still practiced.
- divorce rate is about one
quarter of the US rate.
|