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Men and Masculinities in the Changing Japanese Family

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Men and Masculinities in the Changing Japanese Family Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Men and Masculinities in the Changing Japanese Family by Hiroko Umegaki Lucy Cavendish College Submitted November 2017 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies provided by Apollo View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk CORE brought to you by 1 Preface This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit of the relevant Degree Committee. 2 Acknowledgments Without her ever knowing, my grandmother provided the initial inspiration for my research: this thesis is dedicated to her. Little did I appreciate at the time where this line of enquiry would lead me, and I would not have stayed on this path were it not for my family, my husband, children, parents and extended family: thank you. To bring such a project to fruition I am very grateful for the ongoing direction, advice, support and passion at each stage of the dissertation from my supervisor Dr. Brigitte Steger. I also appreciate the feedback and comments as parts of the dissertation emerged from colleagues around the world, and participants at workshops and conferences. I would like to thank The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for generous funding of substantial parts of my doctoral studies. Finally, I am very grateful to my informants for sharing with me their life experiences. 3 Content Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 7 1.1. Historical Transitions in the Family in Japan .................................................................... 8 1.2. Theoretical Frameworks .................................................................................................. 16 1.2.1. Gender and Sexuality: Men and Masculinities ......................................................... 16 1.2.2. Family Relationships from a Kinship Perspective – from Structure to Relatedness 26 1.3. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 32 1.3.1. Set Up of the Fieldwork and Complementary Research Activities .......................... 34 1.3.2. Day-to-Day in the Field ............................................................................................ 37 1.3.3. Being an Anthropologist-at-Home ........................................................................... 38 1.4. Structure of the Dissertation ............................................................................................ 42 Chapter 2. Caring Husbands? Expectations and Everyday Practices ....................................... 44 2.1. The Basis for Spousal Relationships ................................................................................ 45 2.1.1. Single Women: Changing Situations and Expectations towards Husbands ............. 46 2.1.2. Single Men: Expectations towards Prospective Wives ............................................ 48 2.1.3. Spousal Relationships ............................................................................................... 50 2.2. Ethnographic Cases: Husbands’ Selective Participation in Domestic Matters ................ 53 2.3. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 3. An Evolution of Fatherhood – Nurturing Fathers? ................................................. 72 3.1. Men as Fathers: Emergence of New Forms of Fatherhood? ............................................ 73 3.1.1. Angel Plans and Ikumen Project: Government Policies to Raise the Birth Rate ...... 73 3.1.2. Local Government Initiatives to Support the Ikumen Project ................................... 77 3.2. Ethnographic Cases: Men’s Exploration of Fatherhood .................................................. 79 3.2.1. Nurturing Fathers? .................................................................................................... 79 3.2.2. Intimacy in Fatherhood ............................................................................................. 85 3.3. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 91 Chapter 4. Grandparenting as a Means for Achieving Well-being among Recently Retired Men? ............................................................................................................................. 94 4 4.1. Grandparenting as a Social Phenomenon ‒ What Does the NPO Advise Grandfathers to Do?.................................................................................................................................... 95 4.2. The Government’s View of the Role of Retired Men .................................................... 106 4.2.1. The Recent Gift Tax Reduction Scheme ................................................................. 106 4.2.2. Promoting Through Banks the New Tax Policy to Grandfathers ............................ 109 4.3. Ethnographic Cases: Grandfathers’ Practices of Grandchild-care .................................. 113 4.3.1. The Scope and Limits of Grandfathers’ Involvement in Childcare ......................... 114 4.3.2. The Impact of Grandchild-care on Grandfathers’ Relationships with Daughters ... 118 4.3.3. Gift-Giving Practices in the Family ........................................................................ 122 4.3.4. Masculinity and Future Well-being through Gift-Giving ....................................... 126 4.4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 129 Chapter 5. Who Cares for Frail Parents? Negotiating Masculinity in Elderly Care .............. 131 5.1. Gendered Care Tasks Reshape Sibling Relationships .................................................... 132 5.2. Reconfiguring Husbands’ Masculinity? ......................................................................... 143 5.3. Sons-in-Law and the Emergence of Alternative Masculinities? ..................................... 152 5.3.1. Moving in with Elderly Parents-in-Law .................................................................. 160 5.3.2. Son-in-Law as a Primary Caregiver: Dislocating Masculinity? .............................. 164 5.4. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 166 Chapter 6. Conclusion................................................................................................................... 170 6.1. Crafting Novel Gendered Family Relations ................................................................... 170 6.1.1. Additional Help ....................................................................................................... 171 6.1.2. Extended Family Relations Founded on Exchange ................................................. 173 6.1.3. Selectively Seeking Intimacy in Family Relations through Exchange.................... 177 6.2. Masculinity and Well-being ........................................................................................... 181 6.3. Future Research .............................................................................................................. 185 Appendix: Profile of Formal Interviewees ...................................................................................... 187 References .......................................................................................................................................... 194 5 6 Chapter 1. Introduction ‘It is best to live close to wives’ parents. Everyday life will settle harmoniously.’ (by one of my male informants, aged in his late thirties) Reflecting on our discussion on family relationships during our interview Taku, one of my informants aged 37, a father of three young children, explained that living close to his wife’s parents leads to a comfortable, settled family life. He explains that his parents-in-law are intertwined in the daily life of his immediate family, leading to close relations across the three generations. While this may be seen clearly to point to the importance of family relations beyond his wife and children, to include parts of his extended family, his parents-in-law, this raises the issue of what the everyday practices underpinning his family relations are, and how this leads him to feel content about himself in the family. Yet this story unfolds against a backdrop of significant social changes in Japan affecting families and men in the family. Broad changes such as parent-child relationships, demography, marriage, ageing, child-care, residential patterns,
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