What is Happening to Japanese Families Today : Recent Family Changes in Japan

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of recent changes in Japanese families. Major demographic changes include decline in number of household members, an increase in single households, fewer children and more aged people. The latest Census of 2000 showed the average household size of 2.67. Since 1990 the largest percentage of households is one person. The change of total fertility late shows that until 1920 the average Japanese women bore five children in their lives. Today the total fertility rate is 1.26 in 2005. In 1930 the percentage of elderly population was only 4.75%, but the aged people will occupy 28.7% of the total population in 2025. There are fewer children in families and in communities today. Meanings of children for parents have changed from "valuable" to "unfavorable" existence during these few decades. In this paper, I argued that important issues surrounding Japanese families are; gender inequality in household work, mother's dissatisfaction with father's involvement in caring elderly parents. Sharing work and family life for both men and women, is particularly necessary in Japan.