ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide an analysis of post-war family democracy from the perspective and experiences of older Japanese women. It focuses particularly on intergenerational relations, as an aspect of the transformation of family and society. As explained in Chapter 2, family nuclearization did not advance as quickly as was expected during the process of urbanization in Japan. It was also argued that the current increase of nuclear families may not be due to a substantial change in the old custom, but a postponement of coresidency (Hashimoto, 1992; 1993). Since temporary separation does not seem to be the only explanation for the recent phenomenon, the driving forces for increasing numbers of elderly-only households are examined.
