The family has undergone major changes during Japan's postwar industrialization due to the emergence and reinforcement of a modern social structure described as a "company-centered society". In this paper， we look objectively at the family within this society， identify emerging trends， and try to discern the image of the modern family.
The average salaryman's (white-collar worker's) life revolves around the company: work takes up a large part of his life， while family contact is limited. Moreover， both husband and wife have strongly rooted expectations and dependence toward the company. For types of salarymen are identified based on their level of behavioral commitment to the company (how much discretionary time they spend on company work) and awareness commitment (expectations and dependence toward the company). Differences emerge by salaryman type in the husband's lifestyle and awareness， the wife's awareness， and the relationship between husband and wife. Thus the salaryman's lifestyle structure--encompassing work life， family life， and other life domains--is affected not only by his work behavior but his expectations and dependence toward the company. One type of salaryman in particular works committedly despite not having very strong expectations or dependence toward the company， and this discrepancy is a source of dissatisfaction.
Factors influencing the salaryman's commitment to the company in terms of both behavior and awareness include work hour system， work environment， and the employment system. In addition， the mechanism that binds the salaryman to the company seems to be reinforced by the salaryman's own behavior and awareness--thus perpetuating the company-centered society.
What emerges clearly is family that has accommodated strong pressures to conform to industrialization by integrating itself deeply into the overall social structure. This pressure to conform has come not only from society but from within the family itself: conformity has been rewarded by ever-higher standards of living. Although this basic structure remains deeply rooted， mechanisms supporting conformity have started to dissolve， and new pressures have emerged within the family to enhance lifestyle domains other than the company. While conflict with well-established values can be anticipated in a newly emerging social structure， the opportunity exists to seek a new relationship between the individual， family and company in which people have more freedom to choose their lifestyle.