Resemblance of Modern Trends in Japanese and Pakistani Urban Families

Abstract

Family as a basic unit of society holds an important place in every society, comprising of a mother, father, and one or more children. It is an adaptive institution, not fixed forever but enduring in response to the changing demands of life. The Japanese family in the postwar period and the Pakistani family after the 1960s rapid economic development has undergone a remarkable change reflecting the political, economic, and social transformation. The family in both Japan and Pakistan began to take on modern form, functions, and characteristics in the high growth period of the 1960s and from that time on the number of employed worker households rose rapidly reaching to the majority in both countries. Simultaneously, the households became smaller i.e. nuclear families – also a modern characteristic. This paper highlights some of the features of the Japanese family system transforming from traditional to modern resembling much with the same trend in urban areas of Pakistan.