選択的夫婦別姓実現へ

選択的夫婦別姓を認める民法改正案を政府が早ければ来年の通常国会に提出する方針を固めたとのニュース。これは素晴らしい！夫婦別姓は、私が中学生の頃からたいへんこだわりを持っていた問題で、高校生のときに、夫婦別姓問題についての集会にも出たことがあるくらいで、私のフェミニストとしての意識の発達にかなり重要なポイントとなっていました。一時期議論がけっこう盛り上がったにもかかわらず、その後とんと話題にのぼらなくなった（私が日本を離れてからはそれほど熱心にフォローもしなくなってしまったのが大きいですが）ので、もう実現しないかと悲観していましたが、こうして与党となった民主党が積極的に取り組んでくれるのは、本当にありがたいです。もちろん、自民党の抵抗はかなり強いですから、民主党がよしと言ったからといってそうすんなり通過するとは思えませんが、少なくともこの問題がメインストリームの場で議論され、与党が支持をはっきり表明するということは、国民の意識にだいぶ変化をもたらすのではないでしょうか。夫婦別姓は家族の崩壊をもたらすという議論は、まったくナンセンスだと思います。同姓でも崩壊している家族はすでにたくさん存在するし、あえて別姓を選択しながら結婚し家族生活を営もうという人は、そのぶん「結婚とはなにか」「家族とはなにか」「自分たちはなぜ結婚するのか」といったことを意識的に考えて、お互いへのコミットメントが強い人たちでしょう。アメリカではすでに選択的別姓ですから、私の周りには同姓の人も別姓の人もいますが（著述活動をする学者はやはり別姓の人が多いです）が、日本でも、別姓でいるために事実婚にしている人たちや、法的に結婚して戸籍上は同姓でも通称で別姓にしている人たちは、そうした人たちです。夫婦別姓は「行き過ぎた個人主義」の顕われである、という議論もありますが、はたして「行き過ぎた個人主義」とはいったいなんでしょうか？

ちなみに私は今学期桜美林大学で、「結婚と家族の日米比較」というテーマの授業を担当しています。（おもに留学生を対象にした、英語で行う授業です。）さまざまな理由が重なって受講生が少なく、授業というよりはチュートリアルのような形式になりそうですが、参考までに、以下その授業の内容紹介です。

Course Content

This course takes a comparative look at marriage and family in Japan and the United States. Through historical, sociological, and anthropological analysis, we will discuss the commonalities and differences in the institutions and lived experiences of marriage and family in the two countries. Topics we will cover include: changing arrangements for marriage and family, the government’s role in shaping marriage and family, rituals of marriage and family life, political discourses of “family values,” cultural ideals of marriage and family, and non-traditional marital and family relations. In addition to discussions of readings and films, we will take a field trip to a wedding hall. Students will also conduct interview and participant observation of family life with their host families.

Course Requirements

Class participation 40%
As a seminar with a heavy reading load and intensive discussion, a significant portion of the grade will be based on class participation. Regular attendance is mandatory. Students who miss five or more classes will fail the course unless they make an arrangement with the instructor to make up for the unavoidable absences. Attendance is not synonymous with participation. The class will be conducted in a discussion format, and it is assumed that when you are present, you have done the assigned readings and are ready to participate in discussion of the material. Class participation will be assessed based on: (1) the consistency and thoroughness of your preparation for each session, (2) your active participation in discussions and constructiveness of your ideas, and (3) your ability to build upon other students' ideas and to work collaboratively with others. Occasional mini-writing assignments will also be assessed as part of class participation.

Short paper 20%
Write a 5-page (i.e. approx. 1,250 word) paper analyzing one of the assigned films, discussing how “marriage” and/or “family” are portrayed in the film. Discuss the specific ideals of marriage/family that the characters subscribe to or struggle with, the sources of tension between those ideals and reality, and the ways in which the story resolves (or not) those tensions.

Final paper and presentation 40%
Over the course of the semester, you will be conducting participant observation of the family life of your host family. You will also conduct in-depth (at least two hours each) interviews with at least three of the family members (if three family members are not available for interview, we will make alternative arrangements). Based on your observation and interviews, you will write a 10-12 page (i.e. 2,500-3,000 word) paper that discusses the family relations, incorporating the ideas from the class readings and discussions. Detailed guidelines as to the ethics of research and writing will be provided. For students who do not live with a host family, an alternative assignment will be designed. In the final week, students will give a 15-minute presentation on their paper.

Required Texts

Beth Bailey, From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth-Century America
Nancy Cott, Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation
Merry Isaacs White, Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval
Gail Lee Bernstein, Isami's House: Three Centuries of a Japanese Family
Ruth L. Ozeki, My Year of Meats: A Novel


Film Viewings

Students are required to watch the following film prior to the days designated for discussion in the class schedule. Details TBA.

Sex and the City (2008)
Family Game (1983)
If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)
Aruitemo Aruitemo (2008)