East-West Center Research Program Seminar

April 19, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, East-West Center, Burns Hall Room 3012 Add to Calendar

Changing Attitudes about Marriage and the Family in Japan


Dr. Minja Choe Kim

Senior Fellow, Population and Health Studies,

Research Program, East-West Center

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, Noon – 1pm
John A. Burns Hall, Room 3012 (3rd floor)

During the last 20 years, Japan has been experiencing various familial and workplace behavioral changes that might be expected to be accompanied, or anticipated, by changes in attitudes. Examples of these behavioral changes include a continued increase in the postponement of marriage, increases in divorce and cohabitation, and governmental concerns over very low fertility which has resulted in actual declines in the population of Japan since 2005. Moreover, the nature of the labor market has been going through fundamental changes. In an attempt to increase their competitiveness and profitability in the face of economic globalization, employers are increasingly moving away from life-long employment, a long prevalent and distinguished feature of the Japanese labor market, resulting in rapid decreases in regular employment with job security and career prospects, replaced by the proliferation of various temporary employments.

Given these changes, what have been the changes in the attitudinal climate in Japan? This paper examines the trends and patterns of changing attitudes about marriage and the family in Japan, using data drawn from three national cross-sectional surveys in 1994, 2000 and 2009 in which identical attitudinal questions were asked.

Minja Kim Choe is a senior fellow in Population and Health Research Program. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Biostatistics-Epidemiology from University of Hawaii. Her research interests include statistical analysis of demographic processes and population change in Asian countries. In recent years, her main research activities have been on Family Change in East Asia including topics such as marriage, fertility, and gender roles.


Event Sponsor
East-West Center Research Program, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Laura Moriyama, 808-944-7444, Laura.Moriyama@eastwestcenter.org

Share by email