Students' Perceptions of Socialisation and Gender Role in Japan and Germany

Abstract

The present study investigates differences in students' perceptions of socialisation and gender roles in Japan and the Federal Republic of Germany. N = 64 male and 111 female Japanese and N = 61 male and 59 female German students completed paper-and-pencil tests. Group comparisons showed significant differences with respect to perceptions of socialisation and gender-role orientation. Japanese adolescents reported more parental acceptance and control than German adolescents. Japanese mothers were seen as more and German mothers were seen as less controlling than respective fathers whereas at the same time mothers in both countries were seen as more supportive than fathers. Furthermore, Japanese students had more "traditional" gender-role orientations than German adolescents. These results are interpreted on the basis of culture-specific values underlying socialisation and the organisation of interpersonal relations.