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Book cover for Men, Care and Well-being in Super-aged Japan open access

Publication date: 21 May 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781806550708

Number of illustrations: 2

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Men, Care and Well-being in Super-aged Japan

Male family carers in a society in transition

Hiroko Costantini (Author)

Men, Care and Well-being in Super-aged Japan offers an innovative perspective on social sustainability by examining men’s well-being through their involvement in caring for older family members. Focusing on super-aged Japan, the book provides a valuable way to understand key social challenges relevant to countries on the cusp of an ageing society. In contrast to the predominant focus on men in the workplace, this study shifts attention to men in the family – such as men as sons, sons-in-law, husbands and grandsons – whose roles in care remain understudied.

The first part explores men’s care relations in the context of their extended family relations, including the emergence of sons-in-law in care. The second part widens the perspective to include the domain of work and related policies to understand how men reconcile care and work. The third part situates men’s caregiving in the broader societal context, including attention to the author’s novel notion of ‘care literacy’. The structure provides specialists across relevant fields – such as well-being, masculinity, gender relations and care systems – greater flexibility in accessing relevant sections. Further, the design of parts and chapters supports use as teaching material in undergraduate and graduate courses.

List of figures
Preface
Acknowledgements

Part I: Introduction

1 Motivation and theoretical approach
2 Methodology
Conclusion to Part I: structure of the book

Part II: Family relations, care practices and well-being

3 Caring for my parents-in-law? ‘Additional help’ and the emergence of sons-in-law in care for older relatives
4 Nurturing family relations to enable care and well-being in family
5 Young carers for beloved grandparents: silent detriment of well-being?
Conclusion to Part II

Part III: Care and work

6 Employment and family care: aiming towards compatibility
7 Care and work reconciled?
Conclusion to Part III

Part IV: Reconstructing care, redefining well-being

8 The government’s attempts to recreate men’s care roles in the family and community
9 Alleviating care stress: ‘care literacy’ as an enabler of a culture of care in the community
Conclusion to Part IV

10 Conclusion: men, care and well-being in transition

Index

DOI: 10.14324/111.9781806550708

Number of illustrations: 2

Publication date: 21 May 2026

PDF ISBN: 9781806550708

EPUB ISBN: 9781806550715

Hardback ISBN: 9781806550685

Paperback ISBN: 9781806550692

Hiroko Costantini (Author)

Hiroko Costantini is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo. She earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge. Her expertise spans social anthropology and Japanese Studies, with research areas encompassing social sustainability, population ageing, gender and well-being.

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