The Role of the Japanese Children

Image by FlamingText.com


Image by FlamingText.com

Role of the Son

 One child, usually the eldest son, remains in the household to take over the family business and care for his aged parents. If the eldest son died young or was considered lacking proper qualifications to succeed the family head, another member of the family replaced him. It was either another male member of the family, another son, an adopted son or husband of one of the daughters who succeeded. Adoption of sons (young or adult) was very common compared to their Western counterparts, in order to secure qualified successors to the family. The other sons moved out and sometimes established branch households, which remained in a subordinate relationship to the main family. One of the most important factors in a boy’s life is his education. His future depends solely upon entering the right university.

Role of the Daughter

The education of girls was not considered to be as important, but girls who graduated from select junior colleges or women's colleges were viewed as prime candidates in the marriage market. Therefore, a good education could assure a daughter's future. Daughters married into other families, and the position of the bride of the eldest son was the lowest in the household. Her primary function was to produce heirs, and she was expected to learn the ways of her new household under the tutelage of her mother-in-law. She was also expected to engage in the family business and ultimately to be the primary caretaker for her aged parents-in-law.

During the 1970’s there began a trend where more and more young women graduated from junior colleges (two year colleges) and four-year colleges and universities Women’s liberation movements abroad influenced some; others simply wanted to earn money by putting their education to use. More women entered and stayed in the labor force. As the service industry began expanding in the late 1960s, the opportunities for women, married or single, to work both full-time and part-time increased. Japanese women began seeing marriage as one of many alternatives. The ways by which women secure their livelihood have increased. This affected both the marriages and divorces.
In more recent days, women are eager to establish their own identities, economically and psychologically. And many are successful Today more wives can relate to their husbands as equal partners. A survey conducted by a private research group observed that the higher the income the wife earns, the higher the status she has in the family. Even if the wife does not work and earn an income, she feels free to express herself as an equal partner to her husband.
 
 
HOME
Survey
Guestbook
Games
 Resources
e-pals
Mother
Father
Family