Anthropological study on family in China after One Child Policy

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03269
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Kawaguchi Yukihiro 東北大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (60455235)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 中国 / 家族 / 一人っ子政策 / 少子化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The findings of this study, on Chinese families following the one-child policy, are written below. Married daughters maintain close relationships with their family. They often visit their natal home with their children to spend leisure time or dine with their parents and participate in ancestor worship during the Qingming Festival with their husbands. In addition, at the choice of university or place of employment, the local-oriented mind of parents and children becomes more apparent. With a reduced family size, the parent-child relationship, which continues after marriage, and the nuclear family as a unit are increasing in importance.

Free Research Field

文化人類学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中国は少子高齢化の過程にあるが、社会保障や介護福祉は途上の場合が多く、その民間レベルでの対応として、婚姻後も続く親子関係とユニットとしての核家族の重要性がともに増していると考えられる。これは「一人っ子政策」以後の中国の家族・親族に関する有意義な研究知見である。ここからは、育児・介護に関して家族依存と社会制度の折衷、あるいはどっちつかずとも形容できる日本の現状が照射できるのであり、今後の社会構想においても有益な視点を提供しえたと言えるだろう。