Power, Role, and Inheritance in Japanese Family Culture

Introduction: A Japanese Student's Cultural Context

The young Japanese student at the center of this paper is currently attending his local community college. In terms of family structure, he is the second child but the oldest son in his household. As such, he is the most likely candidate to inherit his father's social role, occupation, and profession. In other words, as the eldest son, he will inherit his father's position of power within Japanese society.

Gender Roles and Power Structures in Japanese Society

In Japan, men and women have very clearly defined roles in terms of power. Men concern themselves with the workplace, business, and public life. Most men dedicate themselves to a single company throughout their careers, after which they leave their accomplishments as a legacy to their eldest sons. Married women, by contrast, are expected to take charge of all aspects of the household, including managing the household economy. They are also responsible for overseeing their children's education — an arduous and time-consuming task. Because of this demanding domestic schedule, relatively few women enter the Japanese workplace. It is within this broader cultural framework that the student enters community college.

The Eldest Son's Path: Career and Educational Expectations

The student will probably not have the opportunity to choose a career substantially different from his father's occupation. Eldest sons are expected to follow in their father's footsteps. This means that his university studies will focus in that direction, and there is little opportunity for him to broaden his horizons through overseas study, for example, unless such study also aligns with his father's occupational field.