Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society
This article reviews the major underpinnings of the Japanese welfare state in the context of social care from a feminist perspective. In Japan, familycare responsibilities have traditionally been assigned to women; hence, care has long been a women’s issue. However, as the social contract of a male...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Linköping University Electronic Press
2010-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Ageing and Later Life |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.ep.liu.se/IJAL/article/view/1194 |
| _version_ | 1811320176754294784 |
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| author | Meiko Makita |
| author_facet | Meiko Makita |
| author_sort | Meiko Makita |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article reviews the major underpinnings of the Japanese welfare state in the context of social care from a feminist perspective. In Japan, familycare responsibilities have traditionally been assigned to women; hence, care has long been a women’s issue. However, as the social contract of a male breadwinner and a ’’professional housewife’’ gradually fades out, Japanese women find more opportunities to renegotiate their caring roles. Of course, this social transformation did not occur in isolation, it was influenced by patterns in economic development, state policies and mainly demographic changes. All this has stimulated new state responses in the form of social welfare expansion that arguably aim to relieve women of the burdens of family-care. The issue remains, however, as to whether Japan would be able to recognise that the main structural issues of population ageing do not originate from demographic changes, but from a strict gendered division of labour and gender inequality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T12:55:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d4f2ecacd4b4b109207c3fa6597f92f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1652-8670 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T12:55:37Z |
| publishDate | 2010-10-01 |
| publisher | Linköping University Electronic Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Ageing and Later Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d4f2ecacd4b4b109207c3fa6597f92f2022-12-22T02:46:05ZengLinköping University Electronic PressInternational Journal of Ageing and Later Life1652-86702010-10-015110.3384/ijal.1652-8670.105177Gender roles and social policy in an ageing societyMeiko Makita0 University of Glasgow, UK This article reviews the major underpinnings of the Japanese welfare state in the context of social care from a feminist perspective. In Japan, familycare responsibilities have traditionally been assigned to women; hence, care has long been a women’s issue. However, as the social contract of a male breadwinner and a ’’professional housewife’’ gradually fades out, Japanese women find more opportunities to renegotiate their caring roles. Of course, this social transformation did not occur in isolation, it was influenced by patterns in economic development, state policies and mainly demographic changes. All this has stimulated new state responses in the form of social welfare expansion that arguably aim to relieve women of the burdens of family-care. The issue remains, however, as to whether Japan would be able to recognise that the main structural issues of population ageing do not originate from demographic changes, but from a strict gendered division of labour and gender inequality.https://journal.ep.liu.se/IJAL/article/view/1194ageing societyfamilismgender rolesJapanese welfare statesocial care |
| spellingShingle | Meiko Makita Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society International Journal of Ageing and Later Life ageing society familism gender roles Japanese welfare state social care |
| title | Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| title_full | Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| title_fullStr | Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| title_short | Gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| title_sort | gender roles and social policy in an ageing society |
| topic | ageing society familism gender roles Japanese welfare state social care |
| url | https://journal.ep.liu.se/IJAL/article/view/1194 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meikomakita genderrolesandsocialpolicyinanageingsociety |