Unmarried Women and Illegitimate Children in the Ogawa Yoko’s Novel

. In Japan, children born out of wedlock are illegitimate children, so they are legally recognized as children of the mother who gave birth. They do not get any rights from their biological father, either living cost or inheritance. Likewise, women who give birth to children out of wedlock do not get a living from the men who impregnate them. This study examines the attitudes and actions taken by women who gave birth to children out of wedlock and their children's condition in Japan. This research is qualitative research with a sociological approach to literature using family concepts. The research method is a coding method by tagging data related to families and institutions. Ogawa Yoko's novels, Hakase no Aishita Sûshiki (2005) and Kohaku no Matataki (2015), are used as a resource of data. The results show that patriarchal power and control in Japan are still ongoing, silencing marginalized women such as pregnant women out of wedlock and eliminating the rights of illegitimate children.