The Changing Japanese Family [Hardcover]

The Japanese family is shifting in fundamental ways, specifically in terms of attitudes towards family and societal relationships, and also the role of the family in society. Changing Japanese Familyexplores these significant changes which include an ageing population, delayed marriages, a fallen birth rate, which has fallen below the level needed for replacement, and a decline in three-generational households and family businesses.

The authors investigate these changes and the effects of them on Japanese society, whilst also setting the study in the context of wider economic and social changes in Japan. They offer interesting comparisons with international societies, especially with Southern Europe, where similar changes to the family and its role are occuring. This fascinating text is essential reading for those with an enthusiasm in Japanese studies but will also engage those with a concern in Japanese culture and society, as well as appealing to a readership with a wider interest in the sociology of the family.

Part 1: Introduction  1. The Changing Japanese Family  Part 2: The Demographic Transition  2. Demographics of the Japanese Family: Entering Uncharted Territory  3. Japanese Youths Attitudes Towards Marriage and Child-Rearing  4. Strong in Tradition and yet Innovative: The Puzzles of the Italian Family  Part 3: The Shifting Gender Balance  5. Changes in the Workplace and their Impact on the Family  6. The Emergence of Nurturing Fathers : Discourses and Practices of Fatherhood in Contemporary Japan  7. Changing Language, Gender and Family Relations in Japan  Part 4: Shifts in the Boundaries of the Family  8. Mother-RearinlS!