Weak Ties Combined with Strong Ties and Weak Ties Not Combined with Strong Ties: The Case of Japanese Married Women’s Personal Networks for Childcare Support

This presentation argues that weak ties observed in social networks should be categorized into two groups: weak ties combined with strong ties and weak ties not combined with strong ties. This distinction is necessary for a more accurate understanding of the concept of "strength of weak ties," which was introduced by M. Granovetter and is frequently cited in studies on social networks.

In this presentation, to differentiate between these two types of weak ties, I defined weak ties combined with strong ties as "mixed ties" and weak ties not combined with strong ties as "weak ties." Subsequently, I examined the differences in their functions within personal networks.

To analyze these differences, I employed multinomial logistic regression models and structural equation modeling. The data used for this analysis was collected from Japanese married women raising children who resided in the Kansai region of Japan. In my analyses, individual subjective well-being was the dependent variable, and types of network ties (weak ties, strong ties, and mixed ties) were the independent variables.

The results of my analyses revealed that mixed ties were most positively associated with individual subjective well-being, while weak ties were least positively associated. This implies that although weak ties themselves are not stronger than strong ties, when combined with strong ties, they can become stronger than strong ties. Overemphasizing the dichotomy of weak ties and strong ties can obscure the weakness of weak ties on their own and the strength of weak ties when combined with strong ties.

Furthermore, the analysis showed that the effects of mixed ties, weak ties, and strong ties on individual subjective well-being were mitigated when controlling for the size of network ties.