The norms of filial piety and grandmother roles as perceived by grandmothers and their grandchildren in Japan and South Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the differences in relationships between grandmothers and grandchildren in Japan and South Korea. Ninety-seven and 194 pairs of grandmothers and grandchildren from Tokyo and Seoul, respectively, completed measures to assess their evaluations of four types of grandmother roles (“transmission”, “socialization agent”, “secure base”, and “parent surrogate”) and their degree of norms for assisting grandmothers. Only the role of socialization agent was associated with country difference, but not with any demographic factors; it was more highly evaluated by living in Seoul. The norm for assisting grandmothers was higher for both grandmothers and grandchildren in Seoul than in Tokyo. In Seoul, grandmothers' expectations of assistance positively correlated with grandchildren's sense of obligation; however, this was not the case in Tokyo. In addition, in Seoul, the grandmother role of a socialization agent was positively associated with the norm of assistance for both grandmothers and grandchildren. Based on these results, we argue that intergenerational solidarity is stronger in South Korea than in Japan, and that grandmothers in South Korea play influential roles in enhancing the norm of assistance.