Family+Culture



Seohyun Kim Asian Studies D Block

== Family culture is one of the aspects of a country's culture that illustrates the country's traditional values and societal trends and conditions. The family cultures or systems of Korea, China, and Japan are very similar because the three countries' cultures were generally influenced by each other as they developed closely. The systems of Korea and China are especially similar because of their great reliances on Confucian teachings and values; for example, families of the two countries both value their eldest sons because of the concepts from Confucianism such as the the importance of age and gender. Despite these similarities, the family cultures of the three East Asian countries have been changing to differ from each other as the economic conditions of their societies and their values changed.





 The Korean family system is a type of patrilineal joint family system, which is also called a structure of “hiving off”. In this system, the junior sons leave the starting family, usually in order of seniority, leaving only the eldest son in the main house with his parents. Each junior usually establishes an independent household after his marriage or after the birth of one or more children. Each junior inherits parts of the parents’ properties, but the eldest son usually gets more than half of the inheritance because of his responsibilities over his parents and the main household. The “main house” of the Korean family system is continued by the patriline of eldest son’s eldest son, and many Koreans, especially the old, value sons more than daughters to continue the succession of this “main house”, which means a lot to them. (Skinners)

 In Korea, the average ages of brides and grooms have increased because of the change in young people’s views regarding the necessity of marriage. However, relatively old people still strongly believe that women have to get married when they are young so that they can depend on their husbands and serve their “real” roles in the society as mothers. Therefore, there are many formal businesses that help men and women meet each other of similar backgrounds and personalities so that they can get married with people who have the qualities they had been looking for. In Korea, marriage is not simply a matter between the bride and the groom, but also between those two people’s families. The two families are tied to each other once the marriage is carried out between the children of the two, it is common for the new couple to live with the family of the man. ("Korean Marriage")

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Although the economic role of women in the society has grown over the past few decades, men still remain as the main sources of income in Korean families. The stereotypical roles of fathers in families are earning incomes and making important decisions for their families. On the other hand, most women in Korea are housewives who take care of domestic affairs and get in charge of their children and their education. However, because the number of economically independent and capable women has increased, families with both mothers and fathers with jobs have greatly increased in number. ("Korean Marriage")

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In the past, Korean families had many children because they couldn’t be certain that all the babies would survive until adulthood to work and continue the family line. However, because it is not as common for babies to die at early ages without any serious diseases today, Korean couples prefer having only one or two children. This is also because Korean couples are increasingly getting stressed out and worried about the money and supplies needed for advanced education and proper growth of their children. Because of many issues that follow births of many children such as finding appropriate, affordable houses and paying fees for their education, Korean couples favor having only a few children who they can really provide good settings for their growths. Additionally, although the favor for sons is not as serious as in the past when there were even concubines for births of sons in families, some Korean families still want sons more than daughters. This trend connects to the family system of Korea because it greatly values the eldest sons who will maintain the “main families” and take care of their parents; Koreans usually think that sons are the ones who never abandon the main families but continue the legacy of the “main families”. (Skinners)

media type="custom" key="9756610" This song shows how the fathers of Korean families provide their families with economic needs, and the children are grateful for their fathers' hard work for them. That is why the children in this song are cheering up their father who is tired from work.





Similar to the Korean family system, the Chinese family structure in the past was also one of the patrilineal joint family systems. This system starts from the conjugal phase to the lineal phase. In the conjugal phase, there is a family of a couple and their children; the daughters marry out in order, from the oldest to the youngest, and the sons get married to bring new family members, the daughters in law, into the family. Then, the families the junior sons establish form the lineal joint family of the main family. However, because of the one child policy that is practiced in China today, this practice of patrilineal joint family system doesn’t mean as much in China anymore. Although many Chinese parents illegally have more than one child, usually in the rural areas, most Chinese parents with only one child put more care into their only child. (Skinners)

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In China, people usually date a few people from their twenties until their marriages from about when they are twenty five to thirty years old. The Chinese live with their parents until they get married, and even after their honeymoon, it is not uncommon for the Chinese couples to stay in one of the parents’ house for a short period of time. After these periods, the Chinese couples move into their own houses, in which they establish their own independent families. (Marsha)

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because China is a country of great Confucianist values, which emphasized the dominance of men and strict social hierarchies, the fathers of Chinese families used to have absolute control over their families. However, these days, Chinese fathers don’t have as much power in the families as they used to have; although they are still considered as the “maintainers, providers, and protectors” of their families who earn the most money, they no longer have absolute says in family decisions and affairs. On the other hand, the mothers still are mostly viewed as supporters of their husbands who take care of their households. However, unlike Korean fathers, Chinese fathers are responsible for educating and housing their children until they are married. ("Unique Culture in China")

==<span style="color: #8022ce; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23px;"> == <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">China’s reproductive trend is rather special compared to those of Korea and Japan because there is actually a law limiting the number of children a Chinese family can have in China. In the other two East Asian countries, the governments encourage births of more children because those countries lack labor forces, but in China, the government is desperate to slow down the population growth. Because of this system, China’s favor for sons, which had been really obvious in the past, is now not as definite; only one child is allowed for a family, so Chinese parents usually don’t care if their child is a boy or a girl, but just take care of their child with as much care they can give him/her. ("Chinese Family Life")

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media type="youtube" key="WiSD5z6x5IM" height="349" width="425" This Chinese children's song illustrates how the child in the song thinks that his/her mother is the best in the world and he/she is so lucky to be his/her mother's son/daughter. This song shows the intimate relationship between Chinese children and their parents.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unlike the Chinese and the Korean family systems, the Japanese families do not place as much value on the “main family” or the eldest sons. Instead, they generally view families as sources of stability and strength for both sons and daughters. Also, the Japanese think that family members should always support each other; the parents have the responsibilities to support and encourage their children when they are still dependent on their parents, and the sons and daughters have to take care of their parents when they are old and are incapable of taking care of themselves. ("Brightman")

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few decades ago, most young couples were married by the age of 25. However, many Japanese people marry when they are older. This is mainly because most women have jobs these days, and they have no reason to get married early when they are economically self-sufficient and busy with their work; they are not ready to handle both work and domestic affairs at the same time. Additionally, there is a system called //miai// or arranged meeting that helps with introductions among men and women to result in marriages of men of women with similar backgrounds, personalities, and economic capabilities in a relatively short period of time. After Japanese couples get married, they usually get apartments in the urban areas to live in, but when they cannot find affordable houses, they live with their parents. Sometimes, they buy houses in the suburban regions, but if they do, they have to bear the inconvenience of having to take a few hours to reach their work places. (Hendry)

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The roles of Japanese parents are very similar to those of Chinese and Korea parents. In most families, fathers are the ones with the economic responsibilities who bring money into the family. Because they are busy with work outside of their houses, their wives are usually the ones who take care of their children and look after their education and other minor household affairs. Generally, fathers in Japanese families have greater says in the families than mothers do. (Hendry)

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recently, Japan has been in an economic depression that Japanese families are busy working, without any spare time or resources. Therefore, the number of children per Japanese family has been decreasing. Like in Korea, it is implausible for the ordinary Japanese families with average incomes to afford education and supplies for more than three, or even two, children. However, it is common for Japanese families to have two children, and Japanese parents tend to prefer having children in balance regarding their genders. For example, when they have a son for their first baby, they usually want a daughter for their second child. This is probably because the Japanese are less concerned with having their sons maintain their family lines and continue the legacy of their families. ("Japan Family Life")

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media type="youtube" key="qvzCmV3_12c" height="349" width="425" This Japanese song portrays a family with many family members. This shows how Japanese societies expect their children to take care of their parents and grandparents once they become economically independent and capable. Also, this song shows peaceful interactions among children and other family members in Japanese families.

== Overall, the family cultures of the three East Asian countries, Korea, China, and Japan, are similar regarding the fact that in all three countries' families, fathers are usually the ones who are in charge of economic activities in the families. They earn the most money in the families and they pay for education of their children and make some important decisions in the families as the main "protectors". On the other hand, although female workers in all three countries have increased over the past few years, women are still mostly expected to be supportive housewives once they get married because they have to take care of their children and look after the households. Furthermore, family sizes in the three nations have all been decreasing because in Japan and Korea, young couples don't want to and cannot afford to have many children, and in China, the government doesn't allow the citizens to have more than one child. Additionally, China and Korea are similar in that families, especially those of the eldest sons, want to have sons more than daughters because they want the sons to inherit most of the properties of the main family and maintain the family line.

Despite these similarities among the family cultures of the three nations, there are also some difference because of their different situations and values. For example, unlike China and Korea, Japan is relatively not obsessed with sons but rather desire gender balance in families because it is less concerned with Confucianist ideas. Also, unlike Korea and Japan which have families that want only one or two children, Chinese families cannot have many children even if they want to because of the uncontrollable population growth in China. Moreover, although Korea, China, and Japan all have families living with their parents and grandparents, Korea is the one with the most pressure, especially for the eldest sons, to live with their parents in the main house of the family.

=<span style="color: #8022ce; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;"> = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hendry, Joy. //Understanding Japanese society//. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 1995. Print.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shapiro, Marsha. "Asian Culture Brief: China." //National Technical Assistance Center//. Version No.2. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Skinner. "Making Government User-friendly - Government Information." //Making Government User-friendly - Government Information//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brightman, James. "Asian Culture Brief: Japan." //National Technical Assistance Center//. Version Vol. 5. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vinken, Henk. "Family and Traditional Values in East Asia." //Exploring Four Comparative Values Surveys in East Asia//. N.p., 27 Aug. 2007.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Japan - Family Life." //Cultural Profiles Project//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Contemporary Japan: Society and Culture | Asian Topics on Asia for Educators." //Asia for Educators | Columbia University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"한중일청소년비교, 한국학생 ‘다이어트몰입’ 최고." 중국대표언론포털//,//중국망한국어판. N.p., 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"South Korea: Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." //Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"한중일청소년전쟁시행동비교." //Institution of A Plus Achievement and Autonomy//. N.p., 14 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"China Unique Culture in China." //China Unique Country Travel Guide, Panda Bears//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Korea: Korean Marriage." //Korea Orbit - Korean Culture, Travel, Economy//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Chinese Culture Family Life." //Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011.

Digital image. //A One Child Family Portrait.// 2008. Web. 13 June 2011.

Digital image. //Japanese Family Portrait.// 12 May 2003. Web. 13 June 2011.

Digital image. //Korean Family Portrait.// 01 Feb 2009. Web. 13 June 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. What did you contribute specifically to your project? In order to make my final project more complete and interesting, I contributed my time and effort to my project. I not only researched a lot about my topic, which was definitely not easy to find, but I also found some children's songs in each of the three East Asian nations that can represent the basic family cultures in the three countries. Furthermore, it took me a long time to organize the wikispace to make it look orderly and to make it easy to understand.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. How successful do you think you conveyed your research to your audience?

I think I managed to deliver the message of my research to the audience quite well because I organized the sub topics of my research into the three nations so that it is easy for the reader to read and compare the three countries' family cultures. The introductory paragraphs for each of the three nations briefly describe the family systems in the countries, and the other main paragraphs discuss the different aspects of family cultures. Additionally, I personally think that the children's songs were interesting ways to illustrate the different family values in the countries.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. What would have made your presentation more successful?

I think my presentation would have been more successful if I had more factual data such as charts and graphs that show the trends of births or marriages in Korea, China, and Japan. If I had those, then I think they would have supported my research to be more reliable and understandable. Even though my statements such as that the number of children per families decreased in all three countries and that the ages of newly married couples are greater compared to those in the past are quite obvious, I think actual data would have made them more firm and strong.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. How successful do you think your technology-based materials were in conveying your research?

My research is mostly based on the technology used in wikispaces, so I think they were quite successful are clearly showing the information about my topic that I had gained through my research. This time, I tried to use as much technology that I can use in wikispaces so that a wide variety of resources can be shown in an organized manner on my wikispace. Also, the videos and images prevent the page from being boring and dull.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5. What would have made your technology-based materials more successful? I think it would have been more successful if I could use even more variety of technology-based materials in my research to make the page more interesting. Also, I feel bad for failing at successfully putting in a table of contents into my wikispace because a table of contents would have helped the reader to more easily read through my page. I actually tried to put one in, but the headings didn't get into the table (maybe because they were images, not actual writings on the wikispace), so I would try to change some things to put a table of contents into my page.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6. What did you learn from this project? Submit any other comments after this question.

By doing this project, I learned many things. For example, I learned that Japan, China, and Korea are similar not only in the appearances of their citizens but also in their cultures, including family cultures, of course because they have shared many ideas with each other from the past. However, I was surprised by the fact that each of the countries kept a few points in their family cultures that were unique to themselves. I think this project was particularly interesting because I was allowed to choose my own topic that I was interested in, and I didn't feel as bad while doing this project although this was my final exam because I was actually interested in getting to learn about new things regarding this topic I chose.