Follow-up Study of Intergenerational Relationships and Attitudes toward Old Age among Middle-aged Women in Rural Area

本研究旨在探讨农村中年妇女的代际关系及对老年的态度。1982年、1993年和2005年在静冈县冈部町的朝比奈地区进行了研究小组研究。通过对253名53 ~ 82岁的已婚妇女进行三次问卷调查，结果表明：1.对于80年代全职农业家庭的中年妇女来说，家庭成员共同参与工作和家庭生活是一种宿命，因此工作和家庭生活可以维持“协作的代际关系”。然而，自1990年以来，兼职农业家庭的数量有所增加，婆婆为儿媳的家务和育儿任务提供了一些支持。婆媳之间的这种“互补合作代际关系”缓解了婆媳之间的紧张和冲突，从而有助于提高儿媳的整体满意度。2.在朝比奈地区，干家庭制度是一种根深蒂固的规范。普遍的主干家庭模式是长子和他的妻子从婚姻生活开始就与长子的父母住在一起。1990年代发生的家庭模式变化的特点是，未婚长子的人数增加，长子在农业以外工作并与父母分开居住的人数也增加。截至2005年，“只要我和丈夫身体健康，就与孩子的家庭分开生活”和“与家人分开生活或保持与已婚子女分开的生活方式”的愿望有所增加。

The purpose of this study is to clarify the inter-generational relationships and attitudes toward old age among middle-aged women in rural area. In study panel studies were conducted in 1982,1993,and 2005 in the Asahina region of Okabe-cho, Shizuoka Prefecture. 253 married women between 53 and 82 years of age were interviewed in three times survey.The result of this study are as follows.1.To the middle-aged women in full-time farm families during the 1980s, it was a destiny that all family members participated in both work and family life, and thus work and family life could sustain the "collaborative inter-generational relationships". However, since 1990,the number of part-time farm families has increased, and mother-in-law have provided some support for housework and child rearing tasks of their daughters-in-law. Such "complementary cooperation intergenerational relationship" between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law relieves tension and conflict between them, thereby helping to improve the level of overall satisfaction of daughter-in-law.2.In the Asahina region, the stem family system was the well-established norm. The prevalent stem family pattern was one in which the eldest son and his wife lived with the eldest son's parents from the start of their married life. Changes in family patterns that occurred in the 1990s have been characterized by rising numbers of unmarried eldest sons and also the rising numbers of eldest sons who have jobs outside of the agricultural industry and live in separate households from their parents. As of 2005,wishes "to live separately from a child's family as long as my husband and I are in good health" and "to live separately household or to maintain lifestyles separate from married children" have increased.