2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Family Structure and Kin Relationships in Contemporary Japan : childcare support and residential proximity between grandparents and children

Research Project

Project/Area Number	20730336
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Sociology
Research Institution	Kobe University
Principal Investigator	HIRAI Shoko Kobe University, 人文学研究科, 准教授 (30464259)
Project Period (FY)	2008 – 2010
Keywords	家族構造 / 親族関係 / 現代日本 / 居住の近接性 / 祖父母 / 子育て支援 / 母-娘関係
Research Abstract	We aim at elucidating the characteristics of contemporary Japanese family and kin relationships based on historical sociological ie study. As it is a long project, this time it needs to be approached from the empirical method, focusing on residential pattern, residential proximity between grandparents and children, and childcare support from the kin members as well as their family image. As a result, though the extended family is very rare, married children often reside in the near town whose parents live in. Grandparents, especially mothers' mothers, support their daughters' childcare. It arises not only from the traditional family norm, but also from the general mother-daughter relationships.