An examination of the socialization processes of family, education, and consumerism and their different impacts in America and Japan.
Many agents of socialization are factors in socialization process. The family, education, and consumerism are considered to be some of the most important contributors. This paper compares the uniqueness of these agents between two different countries, Japan and the United States. Findings indicate that vastly different perceptions of the value of individualism and collectivism have a significant impact on the socialization practices for children in Japan and the United States. American practices focus on development of individualism, and those of Japan emphasize the development of group consciousness and strong interpersonal bonds.
“The family is the most important influence in the socialization of children and for teaching them gender roles and other behavioral norms. Japanese concepts of family diverge greatly from those in the United States (Dolan and Worden, 1994). The Japanese divorce rate, although increasing slowly was only 1.3 per 1,000 marriages in 1987, is low by American standards. Strong gender roles remain the cornerstone of Japanese family responsibilities. Family life in Japan emphasizes parent-child ties over husband-wife relations. In America, the bulk of child-rearing and domestic labor is also borne by women (Smock and Noonan, 2003). However, over the past few decades, American men have increased their domestic labor, both absolutely and relatively, are increasingly involved in childcare, and increasingly likely to espouse egalitarian gender roles.”