Changing Family Tradition: Housing Choices and Constraints for Older People in Japan

Abstract The primary objective of this paper is to provide a qualitative analysis of the transformations in the housing choices and living arrangements of older people in Japan. The underlying causes and issues of changing intergenerational linkages were explored in the context of the development of the Japanese welfare state. The fieldwork was conducted in Kitakyushu, Japan, through a series of interviews with older women. The informants were selected from three different welfare sectors - the state, the market, and the family - in order to make a clear distinction among people in terms of their socio-economic status, housing and living arrangements, and degree of family relations. The results of the analysis highlight older people's preference for more independent living with changing family patterns and ideology. It is, however, still constrained by the limited housing alternatives and underdeveloped social services. The paper also reveals the extent of poverty among single women in old age.