Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the Contributors
- Preface: Japan as Front Line in the Cultural Psychology Wars
- Introduction: Japanese Cultural Psychology and Empathic Understanding: Implications for Academic and Cultural Psychology
- PART ONE MORAL SCRIPTS AND REASONING
- PART TWO MOTHER AND CHILD AT HOME
- 3 The Maternal Role in Japan: Cultural Values and Socioeconomic Conditions
- 4 Japanese Mother-Child Relationships: Skill Acquisition before the Preschool Years
- PART THREE GROUP LIFE: THE YOUNG CHILD IN PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL
- PART FOUR ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE
- PART FIVE REFLECTIONS
- Index
3 - The Maternal Role in Japan: Cultural Values and Socioeconomic Conditions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on the Contributors
- Preface: Japan as Front Line in the Cultural Psychology Wars
- Introduction: Japanese Cultural Psychology and Empathic Understanding: Implications for Academic and Cultural Psychology
- PART ONE MORAL SCRIPTS AND REASONING
- PART TWO MOTHER AND CHILD AT HOME
- 3 The Maternal Role in Japan: Cultural Values and Socioeconomic Conditions
- 4 Japanese Mother-Child Relationships: Skill Acquisition before the Preschool Years
- PART THREE GROUP LIFE: THE YOUNG CHILD IN PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL
- PART FOUR ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE
- PART FIVE REFLECTIONS
- Index
Summary
The intense involvement of Japanese mothers in their children has been considered as one of the critical ingredients of the nation's educational success. This chapter aims to illustrate the Japanese mothers' steadfast involvement in their children as a manifestation of cultural values, which are not exclusive to but strongly associated with the maternal role, within the current socioeconomic conditions. The first part of the chapter will be devoted to theoretical discussions of the above view. The second part will provide empirical data drawn from a questionnaire survey and individual interviews with mothers to substantiate it. Closing thoughts will be given in the third part.
New Notion of Japanese Mothers
To conceptualize the centrality of their children to Japanese mothers, I have proposed calling the Japanese mother's role that of kosodate mama (childrearing mother). Because kosodate literally translates into English as childrearing, the term kosodate mama may appear to be redundant. The wording, however, serves well for the purpose of highlighting Japanese mothers' commitment, not exclusively to examination-geared education as manifested in the kyoiku mama, but to the whole welfare of the child, and the recent breed of mothers who can afford and are expected to concentrate their energy and time on childrearing.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Japanese Frames of MindCultural Perspectives on Human Development, pp. 85 - 110Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002
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