Accepted Paper
Paper short abstract
This presentation examines the historical evolution of Japanese newspaper coverage of loneliness among the elderly during the second half of the twentieth century. It explores how perceptions of loneliness and the roles of the family, the state, and local governments shifted over time.
Paper long abstract
This presentation examines the historical evolution of Japanese newspaper coverage of loneliness among the elderly during the second half of the 20th century. In particular, I examine how Japanese newspaper editorials on the causes of loneliness among the elderly and the role of the family, the state, and local governments changed over time.
In the 1960s, Japan faced the challenges of economic deprivation among the elderly and a lagging welfare system. Although the average life expectancy of the elderly was gradually increasing, the nuclear family was becoming increasingly common, making it difficult for parents and children to live together. The prewar family system was also changing, although it was in a transitional phase due to the postwar revision of the Civil Code. Under these circumstances, alienated elderly parents who had lost their sense of belonging within the household came to no longer want to be taken care of by their children. At the same time, their children increasingly viewed elder care as a burden. As a result, the number of elderly people living alone increased, and the problem of loneliness among the elderly was socially fostered. On the other hand, public opinion developed in such a way that the elderly needed economic stability in order to be independent and not have to be cared for, and that society should create workplaces for the elderly.
Subsequently, the Japanese government strengthened social security for the elderly by introducing social security policies such as the revision of the Pension Law in 1973 and the introduction of a free medical care system for the elderly for those aged 70 and over in 1974. As a result, newspaper editorials shifted from discussing economic measures to deal with the elderly and their purpose in life as a single issue to a focus on how to utilize the elderly as human resources within society. In the 1980s, however, the cost of social security for the elderly became a fiscal issue for the government, and the issue of loneliness among the elderly was again discussed in relation to economic issues.
| Abstract in Japanese (if needed): | 本発表は、20世紀後半における日本の新聞が高齢者の孤独問題をどう報道してきたのか、歴史的変遷を検証する。特に、高齢者の孤独の原因と家族・国家・地方自治体の役割に関する、新聞社説の変化について考察する。1960年代、日本の高齢者の平均寿命は伸びていたものの、核家族化が進み、疎外された「親」は、子供に面倒を見られたくないという意識を持つようになり、高齢者の孤独問題が社会的に醸成された。一方、高齢者が自立するためには経済的安定が必要であり、日本政府は高齢者への社会保障を強化した。その結果、新聞の社説は、社会における高齢者の人材活用をめぐる議論に傾くようなる。しかし、1980年代には、高齢者社会保障の費用が政府の財政問題となり、高齢者の孤独の問題が再び経済問題に関連して議論されるようになった。 |
Loneliness, Social Isolation, and the Notion of Being a Burden to others (Meiwaku) Among Older Adults in Japan