Mortality decline and Japanese family structure

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Citation: Martin, Culter (1983) Mortality decline and Japanese family structure.
Internet Archive Scholar (search for fulltext): Mortality decline and Japanese family structure
Tagged: uw-madison (RSS), wisconsin (RSS), sociology (RSS), demography (RSS), prelim (RSS), qual (RSS), WisconsinDemographyPrelimAugust2009 (RSS)

Summary

The traditional family system in Japan is known as ie. Ie is a patriarchal system in which the eldest son inherits the family's property and is responsible for the protection and perpetuation of the family's lineage. Subsequent sons become heads of separate households, all under the control of the ie. Daughters marry and join the ie of their husbands. Marriage was a contract between families. Ideally, the primary unit of the ie consists of three generations of married couples in a single household-paternal grandparents, paternal parents and the eldest son with his wife. Since mortality declined dramatically in Japan during the 20th century and particularly after World War II, it stands to reason that this cultural ideal could be achieved with greater frequency, since a higher proportion of grandparents, parents and children survive. Indeed, the combined probability that at least one grandparent, one parent and one son would survive until the son is age 15 increased from .21 in 1899 to .84 in 1980. If family formation behavior had remained constant over this period, then one would expect a much higher proportion of multigenerational households. However, Martin and Culter found just the opposite. Japanese households became more "Western" during this period, with a greater frequency of nuclear and single-person households. Therefore, dramatic behavioral changes in Japan have negated the potential to form multigenerational households made possible by demographic trends. "There are many possible reasons for this change in behavior, such as availability of housing and migration of children. Another possibility, of course, is a change in the desire or feeling of obligation of adult offspring to have their parents living with them, or a change in the desire or need of elderly parents to live with their offspring. Various opinion surveys in Japan have documented these changes in attitudes . . ." (p. 644). Therefore, although family relations in Japan remain quite different from most other developed nations, they are beginning to converge with them and appear more "Western" over time.