International Workshop: The Intimate in and beyond Pandemic Times, DIJ Tokyo, 5 Nov. 2022

The Intimate in and beyond Pandemic Times: Family, Personal Relationships
and SinglehoodAbstracts/概要

Singles and Intimate Practices in COVID Times: Perspectives from an Original Survey
コロナ禍におけるシングルと親密さの実践（practice of intimacy）：オリジナル調査の視点からLaura Dales, The University of Western Australia & Nora Kottmann, DIJ
In Japan, the governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic was to exhort avoidance of“the 3 Cs”: closed spaces, crowds and close-contact situations. For those who are single,
social restrictions have had dual effect: on one hand, COVID has exacerbated experiences ofisolation, despondency and social alienation, evidenced by an increase in suicides (especiallyamong women) and widespread concerns about loneliness. However, the pandemic has alsobrought an apparent increase in acceptance of ‘solo-activities’ (soro-katsu), and an
opportunity to re-frame the social practices and experiences of singles, previously
stigmatized or obscured.
This paper introduces an original, large-scale survey (n=4000) conducted in January 2021 on
COVID-19 and its effects on the intimate practices of unmarried individuals between the ageof 25 and 49 in Japan. The paper will address the methodology of the survey, including
limitations and implications, and present an overview of the 41 questions, and introduce
general data trends. This paper sets ground for the following two papers who will discussspecific findings/data in more detail.

Increased Desire for Marriage under the Pandemic: Associated Factors and GenderDifferences
パンデミック の結婚願望への影響とその男⼥差Akiko Yoshida, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Although the recent survey by the ⼈⼝問題研究所 (NIPSSR) suggests more singles intend
not to marry, in our original survey taken in January 2021, approximately one-third of
unpartnered singles – more males than females – claimed they increased the desire formarriage due to the pandemic. Using the data from this original survey, this paper examines
factors associated with the increased desire. Logistic regression analysis indicates thatimportance of social connections and loneliness felt under the pandemic increase the odds
of intensified desire, while other factors – some triggered by the pandemic – also affectdesire but differently by gender. This presentation invites discussions on what marriage andintimacy might mean to unpartnered singles in Japan, and how meanings of, and views
toward, intimacy are shaped by the intersection of gender, sexuality, age, class, and unique
circumstances under the COVID-19 pandemic.

1International Workshop: The Intimate in and beyond Pandemic Times, DIJ Tokyo, 5 Nov. 2022

Single Life, (Solo-)Sociality and the Impacts of the Pandemic
シングルライフ、（ソロ）社会性とパンデミックの影響

Laura Dales, UWA & Nora Kottmann, DIJ
Drawing on qualitative and quantitative date data this paper examines changes in the notionof ‘doing things alone’ (sorokatsu), as well as perceptions of being single, since the turn of thecentury and, in particular, in the context of the ongoing pandemic in Japan.
Based on findings from our large-scale survey, we explore the gendered ways that thepandemic has affected Japanese individuals’ social practices and perceptions of being
unmarried (divorced, widowed or never-married) as well as their socio-spatial implications.
We contextualize these findings using data from long-term ethnographic fieldwork andgathered from media and popular literature before and during COVID-time, to demonstrate
the ways that COVID has modified, amplified and challenged pre-existing ideas about being
single and doing things alone in a familialist “hyper-solo-society” (Arakawa 2017).

Survey on Teleworking during the first COVID-19 State of Emergency: Focusing on theEffects on Families and Gender
COVID-19 緊急事態宣⾔下における在宅勤務の実態調査ー家族およびジェンダーへの効果を中⼼にNanami SUZUKI, Ochanomizu University
2020 年 4 月の緊急事態宣言下に在宅勤務を経験した方々を対象に、ウェブ調査を実施した。在宅勤務が特にどのように家族関係に影響をもたらしたのか、またそのジェンダー差に着目して分析した。回答者の 1/3 は、「子どもが休校中・休園中」であり、在宅勤務と、休校・休園の双方の事情が影響し合い、家族関係が良くなった場合と、悪くなった場合とがあった。

Survey on COVID-19 Related ‘Stay at Home’-Policies: Findings of an Online Survey Among
1065 People
コロナ禍における「⾃宅療養」の実態調査−1065 ⼈のオンラインアンケートから分かるもの
Zixuan WANG, Kyoto University
新型コロナウイルスの流⾏に伴い、⽇本にいれば誰もが経験する可能性のある「⾃宅療養」の実態とそれがもたらす問題点を明らかにするため、1065 ⼈の⾃宅療養者を対象としたウェブ調査を実施した。⾃宅という密室内に起こる療養とケアをめぐり、性別と職業による格差が浮彫りになった。⾃宅療養は、コロナ禍の中で社会をまわすための重要な⼀環だが、当事者に偏った負担を押し付けているようだ。発表
では、ウィズコロナの時代に向け、本調査から得られる⽰唆を⽰す。

2International Workshop: The Intimate in and beyond Pandemic Times, DIJ Tokyo, 5 Nov. 2022

Changing Personal Spaces in Japanese Cities Since the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic
コロナ禍による⽇本の都市の〈ひとり空間〉の変容
Yoshikazu NANGO, Meiji University
⽇本の都市には、ワンルームマンション、カプセルホテル、半個室型ラーメン店、ひとりカラオケ店など、多種多様な〈ひとり空間〉が集積している。〈ひとり空間〉は、物理空間のみならず、スマートフォンやソーシャルメディアなどの情報空間とも重層的な関係を持っている。本発表では、コロナ禍が⽇本の都市の〈ひとり空間〉をめぐる状況にどのような変化をもたらしたのかについて考察を試みる。

Methodological Study to Quantitatively Capture Intimate Relationships and Singlehood
beyond Cisgender Heterosexual Individuals: Findings from Cognitive Interviews with OlderAdults
シスジェンダー異性愛を超えた親密関係・独⾝性を計量的に捉えるための⽅法論的研究――⾼年齢層への認知インタビューの分析結果からDaiki HIRAMORI, Hosei University
In recent years, there has been growing interest in sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQpeople), both in Japan and abroad. In the area of family studies, research has been
conducted to quantitatively capture same-sex couples. However, in order to understandsingle sexual/gender minorities, it is important to measure individuals’ sexual orientationand gender identity (SOGI), in addition to partnership status. While methodological studies
on the quantitative measurement of SOGI are beginning to be conducted in Japan, older
adults have not been examined, despite the fact that the aging of sexual and genderminorities has received attention in Japan, an aging society. In this study, we conducted
cognitive interviews with 18 adults aged 60s or above to examine how older adults
understand SOGI questions on population-based surveys. Findings indicated that although
respondents often did not correctly understand SOGI-related terms, they were less likely tomake errors in their responses because of this issue. As an issue specific to older adults, weobserved cases in which respondents who do not currently experience romantic feelings toanyone felt that they might select asexual as their sexual orientation identity.

Do Same-gender Couples Share Housework More Equally than Different-gender Couples inJapan? Preliminary Analysis of Quantitative Data
同性カップルの家事分担は平等か−量的データの予備分析より*Saori KAMANO, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research with Diana
Khor, Hosei University &Yusuke Kamiya, Chuo University
The few qualitative empirical studies on relationships of cohabiting same-gender couples inJapan have found them to be more equal than what has been found in research aboutheterosexual couples (see Kamano 2007 and Kamiya 2017). However, no quantitative study
has yet been conducted on the relationships of cohabiting same-gender couples. In order to3

International Workshop: The Intimate in and beyond Pandemic Times, DIJ Tokyo, 5 Nov. 2022

fill the research gap in the field, we administered an online survey through an internet
survey company with the largest number of survey monitors in Japan. A total of 3092
responses that consist of approximately 500 men and women each in three types ofrelationships were collected: legally married heterosexual relationships, cohabiting
heterosexual relationships, and cohabiting same-gender relationships. Preliminary analyses
on housework division show that first, the division is most skewed among individuals inheterosexual marriages and least skewed among individuals in same-gender cohabitation.
Second, no difference in the pattern of housework division was observed between men andwomen in same-gender relationships. Third, when income differences within couples aretaken into account, the person with the lower income was found to prepare dinner more
frequently in all three types of relationships.

4