Family and the Evolutionary Development of the Welfare States: A Comparison of the Discourse on Child and Family Policy in Finland and Japan

This chapter discussed Finnish and Japanese family policies from the perspective of situating institutions within a broader historical and evolutionary process, emphasising the ‘context’ in which they function, operate, and shape policy choices. The examination focused on how the two countries chose different family policies through processes of contingency and adaptation. Despite contrasting cultural norms regarding the family in the East and West, both countries have shared a history of dominant conservative rural values and an emphasis on women’s maternal roles. In two countries, significant divergence in care policy occurred during the 1970s. While Finland reached compromised conclusions within the political power structures from the 1970s onwards, in Japan, one of the different arguments was reinforced or transformed by political power structures. Although familism and respect for family care were core values in both countries, differences existed in discourses regarding women’s employment and gender equality. Rather than adopting a simplistic understanding of these typologies, this chapter examined how the development of welfare institutions in both countries was influenced by historical experience, religion and ideology, political regimes, industrial development, and precedents and advanced ideas from neighbouring countries as well as by core values.