Education and Migration Before and During the Pandemic: The Changing Views of Intermarried Japanese Fathers Living in the Philippines
摘要
This chapter examines the experiences of Japanese husbands of Filipino nationals residing in the Philippines to understand how their educational beliefs are constructed. Studying educational beliefs allows us to reveal the framework of identity transformation across generations. Past studies, however, have predominantly focused on the mothers’ perspectives and left fathers’ stories unstudied, especially in intermarriages. In this chapter, the researcher interviewed Japanese marriage migrants between 2017–2021 to understand how educational beliefs are re/constructed through the complicated process of migration to and settlement in the Philippines amid the pandemic. In initial interviews in 2017, the following aspects of the paternal practice were identified: (1) fathers are in constant conflict between traditional gender roles and modern parenting discourses; (2) parenting includes being responsible for teaching Japanese to their children; (3) sending children to the Japanese school in Manila was recognized as raising them as Japanese, while choosing local (private) schools or international schools was understood as preparing them to function on a global stage through education in English with the possibility of further migration to a third country; and (4) most fathers show tolerance towards deviation from Filipino or Japanese standard education models as if their migration and intermarriage experiences were stepping stones to becoming more accepting and flexible about education. The results of the second interview in 2021 revealed that while children’s education remains one of the most critical issues, they are asked whether their lives are financially sustainable and feel safe in the community in the Philippines; neither question was considered seriously before the pandemic. Either way, they are in a position to choose the place to live, and they see it as their advantage. Financial instability and changing business environment amid the pandemic made them think about priorities in their lives. Parents were still struggling to determine the best strategy for their children. Some are affluent enough to maintain life and delay the decision to change. They save money by relocating and changing schools for lesser tuition and endure the difficulty. Their preference to live in the Philippines was motivated by the idea of using the Philippines as a gateway for gaining global experience for themselves and their children. In contrast, others were forced to leave the country and migrate to Japan because their business “dried out.” Sex differences were not observed in this respect. The Japanese mothers were in the same situation. They were the primary parents in terms of family income and suffered as much.