We cordially invite you to our next DIJ Forum on

Thursday, 17 October 2013, 18.30 h
Masako Ishii-Kuntz, Professor, Ochanomizu University The Rise of Ikumen (child caring fathers) in Contemporary Japan

The Japanese word, Ikumen which originated from Ikemen (handsome men) refers to those “cool” fathers who are actively involved in caring for their own children.
This word has become well-known among the Japanese public as evidenced by it being nominated one of the top 10 words in 2010 Buzzwords-of-the-Year Contest. In this lecture, we focus on this Ikumen phenomenon by describing historical and contemporary social, economic and political factors that contributed to the increase of Japanese fathers’ participation in child care.
Antecedents and consequences of fathers’ participation in child care will also be examined from sociological perspectives.
Most of the findings presented in this lecture come from the data collected in two projects, “Gender Sensitive Approaches to Work-Life-Balance” and “Parenting in IT Society.” Our analyses show that workplace factors as well as family socialization are significant factors affecting paternal involvement.
Implications of our research findings will also be discussed in relation to policies, education and practice. Theoretically, the work is based on the well-established concept of lead market theory, which shows that innovations frequently achieve global acceptance when they were previously successful in the product-specific lead market – making knowledge about lead markets a must for innovating companies.
Masako Ishii-Kuntz is a Professor in Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo. Her areas of specialization include family sociology, gender studies and quantitative methods. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in sociology from Washington State University. She has also taught at the University of California, Riverside prior to her current position. She has published three books (plus two in press) and more than 120 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, reviews and research reports. Her recent research focuses on how fathers and mothers of young children utilize IT tools and SNS (social networking
service) in their child caring activities.

The lecture will be given in English. It will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 6.30 p.m. at the DIJ. Admission is free, please register at forum[at]dijtokyo.org Deutsches Institut für Japanstudien Jochi Kioizaka Bld. 2F, 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
102-0094
Tel: 03 - 3222 5198, Fax: 03 3222 5420