Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series 2013

Fatherhood and Consumption: An Exploratory Study of Soon-to-be Fathers in Japan (
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2013-2014/13120
9_Kohlbacher.pdf )

Florian Kohlbacher, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) Tokyo

18:00-19:30, Dec. 9th, 2013
Sophia University Building 10, Room 301 (3F)

Japanese society has been undergoing tremendous transformations in recent years, with various new social trends emerging. One of them is the change in family organization and family life and in particular the role and identity of the father. The most well-known example of this is the rise of the so-called ikumen, i.e. men who actively engage in child rearing.
While Japanese fathers have been studied in the area of family sociology, research on recent changes in fatherhood in Japan and the ikumen in particular is still in its infancy. So far, no study has looked into the issue of consumer behavior of fathers in Japan and how consumption patterns change with fatherhood. The present research is a collaboration of two German-Japanese papa tomo (father friends) using a qualitative approach based on Consumer Culture Theory to study ikumen and the rise of fatherly consumption in Japan. This paper reports preliminary findings based on in-depth interviews with 13 pre-papas
(soon-to-be-fathers) and their spouses (pre-mamas).
These findings revolve around six major themes: ikumen/ child-rearing issues; fatherhood and paternal identity; parental/ paternity leave; religious/ spiritual celebrations and traditions; family budgeting; consumption of goods and services (both related and unrelated to child-rearing). Our empirical evidence suggests that fatherly consumption goes far beyond the mere purchase of goods and services connected to child rearing and reveals insights into the role of individual, family, and social identities in becoming a father and how they shape the consumer culture of fatherhood in Japan. (This research is done in collaboration with Kosuke Mizukoshi, Tokyo Metropolitan
University.)

Florian Kohlbacher is senior research fellow and head of the Business & Economics Section at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) Tokyo. He holds both a master's degree and a doctorate from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna). His research focuses on business and consumer trends in Japan, especially in connection with social and demographic changes. He is author of International Marketing in the Network Economy: A Knowledge-Based Approach (Palgrave, 2007) and co-editor of The Silver Market Phenomenon: Marketing and Innovation in the Aging Society, 2nd ed. (Springer, 2011).

Lecture in English / No registration necessary

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More ICC talks in December!
Dec. 2:
Twenty-One Haiku Lessons from The Book of Tea Michael Dylan Welch, Vice president of the Haiku Society of America
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2013-2014/13120
2_Welch.pdf

Dec. 5:
Takeshima and Shimane Prefecture
Alexander Bukh, Senior Lecturer, Victoria University, Wellington
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2013-2014/13120
5_bukh.pdf


Dec. 13:
Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice Kristin Surak, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Japanese Politics at SOAS, University of London
http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/html/events/2013-2014/13121
3_Surak.pdf