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A Current Picture and Overall Trends of Japanese Family Based on Japanese General Social Survey Cumulative Data 2000-2012
Working with Korean General Social Survey, Taiwan Social Change Survey, and Chinese General Social Survey, JGSS shares some modules of questions with East Asian Social Surveys (EASS). The theme for the first EASS (EASS 2006) is Family, for the second (EASS 2008) is Culture and Globalization, for the third (EASS 2010) is Health and Society, and for the forth is Network Social Capital, and for the fifth (planned in 2015) is Work and Life. EASS aims to continue valid and reliable cross-national surveys by using repeated research that has already generated robust results.
In this presentation, we will illustrate the change in Japanese family and capture the current picture based on the results of cumulative JGSS data. The overall trends between 2000 and 2012 will be described. While swayed by unstable job climate, both individuals and families suppress dissatisfaction and come to grips with reality. The number of unemployment and contingent employment among youths has been enlarged, the percentage of unmarried people has increased, and unmarried adult children have increasingly been living together with their parents. A growing number of women in all ages entered into labor force and the bottom of the M-shaped employment rates among women have become shallow. Following favorability towards socialization of livelihood security and care of the elderly, increasing people favor socialization of childrearing and education. The changes in employment among youths and women should have a strong impact on Japanese family in the future, and thus a whole picture of the reform in taxation system, employment policy, and social welfare should gain attention.