National Survey of Family Change in post-War Japanese

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13301010
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: Shukutoku University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUDA Sonoko Shukutoku University, College of Sociology Professor, 社会学部, 教授 (30100986)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SUGIOKA Naoto Hokusei Gakuen University, School of Social Welfare Professor, 社会福祉学部, 教授 (10113573) ; WATANABE Yoshikazu International University of Health and Welfare, The School of Health and Welfare Professor, 医療福祉学部, 教授 (00306226) ; SHIMIZU Hiroaki Nihon University, College of Humanities and Sciences Professor, 文理学部, 教授 (80245026) ; ANDOH Yoshimi University of Ryukyus, Faculty of Law and Letters Professor, 法文学部, 教授 (60232104) ; OHKUBO Takaji Waseda University, School of Literature Professor, 文学部, 教授 (00194100)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2002
• Keywords: family / family change / birth cohort / national random sampling / post-War Japanese society

Research Abstract

Though family change in post-War Japanese society is taken for granted, we have few sociological discussion on the mechanism of change. We hope our research would be an asset for such discussion. The survey was planned to supplement National Family Research (NFRJ98) conducted by Japan Society for Family Sociology in 1998. Data from retrospective survey on family career and family event was analyzed through cohort comparison.
1. Survey Design: Probabilistic samples were extracted from women born between 1920 and 1969 (aged from 32 to 81 as of January 2002). 2. Field Survey: Structured questionnaires were distributed by research assistants, left to be filled in by informants themselves and collected by research assistants. Effective sample of 3475 were collected.
3. Data-base Comparison: After data cleaning, data-base was designed to be processed by SPSS. 4. Analysis and Findings: Findings from cohort comparison of family career, family event, occupational career, and care experience propose a hypothesis that family change in post-War Japanese society is not an unilinear process toward "modernization"/"westernization". Verification of the hypothesis and development of this research is the task left for us. 5. Report: Preliminary result with simple tabulation is prepared. Report of further analyses will be read at the annual meeting of Japan Society of Family Sociology in September 2003. 6. Disclosure of Data: Data-base is planned to be disclosed, finishing necessary data cleaning.