Books etc

In recent decades, childhood in Japan has undergone significant transformations. Government policies geared at boosting women's labor force participation, a declining fertility rate, rising costs of having children on the one hand, and increased spending on public childcare and support measures for families, on the other hand, contribute to these ongoing changes. Having only one child is becoming the norm while mothers' role in society is shifting. The traditional family structure is moving from the previously predominant male breadwinner model to more dual-earner families. Children now spend significant amounts of time in care and education institutions. In this chapter, we analyze current configurations of early childhood in institutions and the family from a policy perspective and regarding children's predominant education and care arrangements. Drawing on various survey data sets and evidence fromdemographic statistics to pedagogical ethnographies, we look at howchildcare policies and families reshape the organization of children's lives and outline how institutions and educators create learning experiences aligned with the values of a collectivist society. However, despite being deeply rooted in traditional child-rearing goals, many parents also subscribe to rigorous educational arrangements fromearly childhood onwards to prepare children for success in a competitive education system. The chapter finishes with an outlook on future directions of howpolicymakers and the ongoing institutionalization of childhood continue to change children's lives.

全国家族調査（NFRJ）の３つのデータを併用しながら、1999-2009の期間中を中心に日本の家族の構造と変動を論じる。