The Relationship between Support Networks and “Connectedness -oriented” Roles in Late -middle -aged Japanese Men

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to reveal the relationship between the support networks of late-middle-aged Japanese men, and the roles these men play in society.Past researches have shown that men tend to rely exclusively on their spouses for support, while women tend to have large and multiple support networks, including their spouses, children, other family members and friends. These findings suggest that the reason women have rich support networks is that they are typically assigned “connectedness -oriented” roles, which put more value on making ties with a broad range of people than on being independent.In our investigation we propose following hypothesis ; that those who play “connectedness oriented” roles will have more extensive support networks than those who don't, regardless of whether they are men or women. This hypothesis is supported with data from a survey of Japanese men, aged 45-59. The sample results show convincingly that, as predicted, the more these subjects pursue “connectedness -oriented” roles, the higher the likelihood of their having large, multiple support networks.