magazinelogo

Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Print: 2576-0556 Downloads: 472700 Total View: 3628771
Frequency: monthly ISSN Online: 2576-0548 CODEN: JHASAY
Email: jhass@hillpublisher.com
Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2022.12.005

Japanese and Taiwanese Fathers’ Perspectives of Father Involvement

Yoko Ito1, Satomi Izumi-Taylor2,*, Chia-Hui Lin3

1Faculty of Education, Chiba University, Japan.

2Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, Tennessee, USA.

3Early Childhood Education Department, National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan, China.

*Corresponding author: Satomi Izumi-Taylor

Published: December 2,2022

Abstract

Father involvement influences young children’s learning and development. Few studies, however, have attempted to examine Japanese and Taiwanese father’s perspectives of fathering. The purpose of this study was to examine Japanese and Taiwanese fathers’ notions about this subject. The participants consisted of 82 fathers of five years old on the main island of Japan and 95 fathers of five year olds from Taichung, Taiwan. The Japanese and Taiwanese fathers were professionals from lower to middle-class families. The data came from written answers of these fathers’ awareness of their roles, their involvement in childrearing, and sources of childcare knowledge. The results of quantitative analysis revealed that Japanese and Taiwanese fathers’ perceptions of fathering were both similar and different. Their awareness of the father’s role, involvement in childrearing, and resources for childrearing information were closely related to their own cultural and social contexts. The implications for early childhood educators are presented.

References

Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences, Parenting and Aging (BICSPA). (2011). Dainikai nyuyouji no chichioya nituiteno chosa [Number 2 research on fathers’ of young children]. Benesse Corporation.

Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences, Parenting and Aging (BICSPA). (2014). Daisankai nyuyouji no chichioya nituiteno chosa [Number 3 research on fathers’ of young children]. Benesse Corporation.

Bruning, B. (2020). Ikumen-the new fathering in Japan: How do organizations and governmental reforms in family policy affect the involvement of Japanese fathers in parenting? [Bachelor thesis, Goethe University]. https://researchgate.net/profile/benedikt-bruning/ublication/345894748-ikumen.

Cabinet Office of Japan (2019). Altering the work-life of Japanese Dads/April 2019. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/ eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/201904_03_en.html.

Cabinet Office of Japan. (2009). A 2009 declining birthrate White Paper, Chapter Countermeasures against a declining birthrate. http://www8.cao.go.jp/shoushi/whitepaper/english/w-2009.

Chaung, S., Yuen, L., Shen, C. et al. (2019, March). Is that MY job?: An international exploration on Chinese mothers’ and fathers’ perspectives on parental roles in four environments [Conference presentation]. Society for Research on Child Development. Baltimore, MD. United States.

Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan Taiwan R.O.C. (CLA). (2014). The employment insurance act. http://law. mol. gov tw/Eng/ FLAWDAT0201 aspx?lsid=FL023221.

Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan Taiwan R.O.C. (CLA). (2008). Gender equality in employment act. http:// law. mol.gov.tw/Eng/EngContent,aspx?msgid=44. 

Fagan, J., & Palm, G. (2004). Fathers and early childhood programs. Thomson Delmar Learning. Fathering Japan. (2021). https://fathering.jp/index.html15.02.2020.

Feining, N. (2020). Rearing the family, moving society: Rethinking gender, kinship, and work through Japan’s fathering movement (Publication No. 7963744) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Toronto]. ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global.

Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office (GEBCO). (2020). White paper on gender equality 2020 summary. https://www.cao.go.jp/whitepaper/html.

Goldstein-Godani, O. (2019). ‘Working fathers’ in Japan: Leading a change in gender relations. Gender Work Organ, 4(2), 1-17.

Halme, N., Astedt-Kurki, P., & Tarkka, M. (2009). Fathers’ involvement with their preschool children: How fathers spend time with their children indifferent family structures. Child Youth Care Forum, 38(3), 103-119.

Hancock, D., & Algozzine, B. (2006). Doing case study research. Teachers College Press.

Hattori, M. (2020). Masculinity of fatherhood in Japanese news media. [Master’s thesis, University of Helsinki]. https://held.helsink.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/317472/hattori-mai-thesis=2020.pdf?sequence=2.

Ho, H., Chen, W., Tran, C., & Ko, C. (2010). Parental involvement in Taiwanese families. Childhood Education, 86(6), 476-381.

Ho, H., Ko, C., Tran, C., Phillips, J., & Chen, W. (2013). Father involvement in Taiwan: A progressive perspective. In J. Pattnaik (Ed.), Father involvement in younger children’s lives: A global analysis (pp. 329-342). Springer Science + Business Media.

Ichikawa, C. (2008). Yu de asobu [Playing in the tub]. Tokyo Shimbun, p. 28. 

Ito, Y., & Izumi-Taylor, S. (2013). A comparative study of fathers' thoughts about fatherhood in the USA and Japan. Early Child Development and Care, 183(11), 1689-1704.

Ito, Y., & Kurokawa, K. (2009). Japanese high school and university students' awareness of fathers’ roles and their readiness for parenting. Journal of Asian Regional Association for Home Economics, 16(3), 98-105.

Ito, Y., Izumi-Taylor, S., & Zhou, N. (2017). Chinese and Japanese perspectives of fathering. Early Child Development and Care. https://doi.org/10_1080/03004430.2017.1286335.

Izumi-Taylor, S., & Ito, Y. (2017). Japanese ECE: Four abilities (accessibility, affordability, accountability, and sustainability) that result in social justice. In H. Li, E. Park, & J. Chen (Eds.). Early childhood education policies in Asia Pacific (pp. 73-86). Springer.

Japan Institute for Labour and Policy and Training. (2021). The fifth basic plan for gender equity “toward a Reiwa society where all women and girls can thrive and achieve their full potential.” Japan Labor Issues, 5(33), 6-12. https://www.jil.go.jp/english/jli/index.html.

Kozaki, Y. (2017). Chichioya no kodatesien toha nanika? [What is a father’s support in childrearing?]. Hattatsu, 33, 2-7. Minerubashobo.

Kuo, M., & Chen, R. (2012). The relations of parental efficacy, maternal encouraging behaviors on father involvement in parenting for fathers with young children in dual-earner families. Journal of Family Education and Counseling, 13, 57-79.

Lamb, M. E. (2010). How do fathers influence children’s development? Let me count the ways. In M. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development 5th ed. (pp. 1-26). Wiley.

Leung, S., & Chen, E. (2017). An examination and evaluation of postmillennial early childhood education policies in Taiwan. In H. Li, E. Park, & J. Chen (Eds.), Early childhood education policies in Asia pacific (pp. 245-262). Springer.

Li, H., Park, E., & J. Chen. (2017). Preface: From soundbites to sound solutions: Advancing the policies for better early childhood education in Asia Pacific. In H. Li, E. Park, & J. Chen (Eds.). Early childhood education policies in Asia Pacific (pp.vii-xiii). Springer.

Ma, H. F. (2003). 男性眼光中父職參與、父職自我效能與親子關係滿意度之自我評估研究—新竹科學園區周邊幼兒園所調查資料之分析 [The paternal involvement, paternal self-efficacy, and parent-child relationship satisfaction in male's eye: an analysis of preschoolers’ fathers around the HsinChu Science-Based Industrial Park]. [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Fu Jen Catholic University.

Maclean, R., & Symaco, L. (2017). Series editors’ introduction. In H. Li, E. Park, & J. Chen (Eds.), Early childhood education policies in Asia pacific (pp. v-vi). Springer.

Ministry of Education & R.O.C. Taiwan. (2009). Minister of education family education net. http://english.moe.gov.tw/.asp?xltem=14347&ctNode=11416&mp=11.

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW). (2018). Work/life balance for fathers: Let’s support compatibility between work and childrearing. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/koyoukintou/pamphlet/09.html, 10.03.2020.

Mori, E., Liu, C., Otsuki, E., Mochizuki, Y., & Kashiwabara, E. (2012). Comparing child-care values in Japan and China among parents with infants. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 18(2), 18-27.

Murphy, M. (2016). Surprising number of Japanese kids still take baths with they parents up till high schools. Japan Today. https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/surprising-number-of-japanese-kids-still-bathe-with-their-parents-up-until-high-school.

Newland, L. A., Chen, H. H., Coyl-Shepherd, D. D., Liang, Y. C, Carr, E. R., Dykstra, E., & Gapp S. C. (2013). Parent and child perspectives on mothering and fathering: the influence of ecocultural niches. Early Child Development and Care, 183(3-4), 534-552. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2012.711598.

Nihon Zokugo Jisho (Japanese dictionary of slang). (2010): ‘Ikumen.’ http://zokugo-dict.com/02i/ikumen.htm, 14.02.2020.

Okada, M. (2007). University students’ awareness of parental roles in Japan: How do they rate parental roles? The Journal of Asian Regional Association for Home Economics, 14(3), 146-155.

Poff, J. (2021). Maternal and partial psychological well-being and child behavior in Japan. [Master’s thesis, Bringham Young University]. https://scholarsarchive.byu/eid/8896.

Shwalb, D. W., Nakazawa, J., Yamamoto, T., & Hyun, J. H. (2010). Fathering in Japan, China, and Korea: Changing contexts, images, and roles. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.). The role of the father in child development 5th ed (pp. 341-387). Wiley.

Tamura, R., Yamazaki, T., & Uchibori, M. (2021). “I’ll try my best to be a dad”: The experiences of Japanese fathers with cancer. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 8, 1-15.

Tatsumi, M. (2018). Ikumen janai chichioyanokosodate [Not caregiver fathers but fathers who raise their children]. Koyoshobo.

Terui, T., Sasaki, K., Murakami, M., & Goto, A. (2020). The association between fathers’ self-assessment of their own parenting and mothers’ recognition of paternal support: A municipal-based cross-sectional study. Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.2188/lea.je20200108.

Tsai, M. J., & Lee, Y. L. (2015). 核心家庭之父職參與和幼兒的社會行為發展及其學習態度關係之研究 [The research of relationships among father involvement, social behavioral development and learning attitude of preschool children at nuclear families]. Shu-Te Online Studies of Humanities and Social Science, 10(2), 66-83.

Tsutsu, J. (2019). Japan’s “Ikumen” mister moms: Image versus reality. https://www.fnn.jp.

Yeh, C., Ballard, S., Hui, B., et al. (2021). An exploratory cross-cultural study: Fathers’ early involvement with infants. Early Child Development and Care, 191(3), 373-386.

Yeung, W. (2013). Asian fatherhood. Journal of Family Issues, 34(2), 143-160.

How to cite this paper

Japanese and Taiwanese Fathers' Perspectives of Father Involvement

How to cite this paper: Yoko Ito, Satomi Izumi-Taylor, Chia-Hui Lin. (2022) Japanese and Taiwanese Fathers' Perspectives of Father Involvement. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science6(4), 530-538.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2022.12.005