Making Our Own Destiny : Single Women, Opportunity, and Family in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nakano, Lynne Y.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Single women--Family relationships--China--Hong Kong--Case studies.

Single women.

Single women--Family relationships--China--Shanghai--Case studies.

Single women--Family relationships--Japan--Tokyo--Case studies.

Single women--China--Hong Kong--Attitudes--Case studies.

Single women--China--Shanghai--Attitudes--Case studies.

Single women--Japan--Tokyo--Attitudes--Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 pages)

Other Title:

Making Our Own Destiny

Place of Publication:

Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, 2022.

Summary:

In East Asia’s largest cities, hundreds of thousands of women remain single into middle age and beyond, giving rise to a demographic transformation with profound implications for their societies. Labeled in the media as “loser dogs” and “parasites” in Japan and “leftover women” in mainland China and Hong Kong, single women in East Asia are criticized for being choosy, selfish, and overly independent. Based on ethnographic research and interviews with more than a hundred single women in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, Making Our Own Destiny is the first study to comprehensively compare the views and experiences of single women living in these three great cities—cities that stand at the forefront of the region’s movement toward later marriage and rising singlehood.This well-researched book explores how single women attempt to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities for success in education and work while navigating marriage and family expectations. Unlike their counterparts in Europe and North America, many do not have romantic partners and most do not have children. What do these women want? How do they see themselves and their place in society? What are their values, goals, and dreams? As they work to balance opportunities with expectations, single women in urban East Asia find themselves deeply embedded in the caregiving systems of their societies. In Shanghai, author Lynne Nakano finds single women rushing to marry to enter intergenerational relationships of care. In Hong Kong, they consider the risks of marriage as they tend to the needs of natal and extended families. In Tokyo, many single women hope to marry to have children while others find a place for themselves in their families as elder caregivers.Nakano’s intimate portrayals not only expose meticulously planned family strategies gone awry, engagements broken, and careers abandoned, but also highlight the experiences of women embracing the joys of remaining single. Hers is a fascinating study of modern women finding meaning in their lives while offering an insightful glimpse into the future of urban families in an age of low fertility and long transitions into adulthood.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Biographical Information of Women Mentioned in This Book

Introduction

1 Three Marriage Regimes

2 “When I Went to Graduate School, My Parents Said I Had to Get a Boyfriend”: Managing Educational Expectations

3 “Because I’m a Girl, My Parents Want Me to Find a Stable Job”: Accommodating Work and Caregiving Responsibilities

4 “If I Keep This Up, I Will Never Have a Life of My Own”: Negotiating Family Tensions

5 “Maybe I Just Love Myself Too Much”: Finding Meaning as Single Women

Conclusion: Making the Best of Our Special Situation

Notes

References

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-8248-9199-6

OCLC:

1303086305