Open AccessHousing, family, and life‐course in post‐growth Japan
Author(s) -
Hirayama Yosuke
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
japan architectural review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2475-8876
DOI - 10.1002/2475-8876.12216
Subject(s) - renting , life course approach , rental housing , inequality , government (linguistics) , sustainable growth rate , population growth , economic growth , state (computer science) , population , nuclear family , affordable housing , development economics , demographic economics , economics , political science , sociology , psychology , demography , social psychology , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics , computer science , law , finance , algorithm
The state‐guided housing system in Japan during the “post‐war growth period” has consistently driven the expansion of the family‐owned housing sector, in association with an increase in independent nuclear households. Nevertheless, Japan entered a “post‐growth era” in the 1990s, characterized by a more precarious economy, aging population, and policy shifts toward a more neoliberal course. People's housing paths have since noticeably diverged, in relation to both individualization and familization in life‐courses. However, government housing policy has remained directed toward family home ownership while excluding unmarried individuals, one‐person households, and renter households. This is beginning to widen social inequalities. Using the case of post‐growth Japan, this study focuses on the roles that individualization and familization play in reshaping housing paths, and examines the extent to which home‐owning societies centered on conventional nuclear households are sustainable.