A new look at Japan's honorable elders
1993; Elsevier BV; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0890-4065(93)90020-k
ISSN1879-193X
Autores Tópico(s)Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
ResumoAbstract This article critically examines the literature on modernization and the status of the elderly in Japan. Based on a review of recent social gerontology studies in Japan, an evaluation is made of recent changes in the structure of Japanese families, attitudes of both the aged and nonaged to living in three generation families, and the impact living in a three generational family has on the image of the elderly among the younger generation. This review challenges a commonly stated thesis in the literature that due to the existence of unique cultural norms, the elderly in Japan have been able to maintain a higher level of social status and integration than their Western counterparts. It concludes with some cautionary comments on evaluating the social role of traditional family structures in rapidly changing societies.
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