Home living improvement groups and women's associations: A case study on Tottori [Japan] Prefecture
2008
Nakama, Y.(Tottori Univ. (Japan)) | Uchida, K. | Ito, Y.
Home living improvement promotion services were established after the war as a measure for improving the status of women in rural areas. This measure was implemented through home living improvement groups under the guidance of home advisers. With regard to the formation of home living improvement groups, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry developed a policy that excluded the use of existing organizations such as women's associations. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the formation process of home living improvement groups and their relationship to women's associations in Tottori Prefecture, which closely adhered to the policies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The findings were summarized as follows. Home advisers provided guidance to enable volunteers to independently form groups in accordance with prefectural measures. However, in reality, many of the groups were formed by women's associations, due to the fact that group activities involving compulsory participation were the most suitable from the perspective of maintaining hamlet harmony. Formation of groups according to prefectural measures involved the risk of creating serious conflict within villages due to differences in organizational principles between home living improvement groups and women's associations.
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