The study deals with inter- and intracultural differences in the perception of family roles. One hundred and fifty-six Japanese students (40 modern females, 76 traditional females, and 40 males) and 148 German students (58 modern females, 49 traditional females, and 41 males) answered questionnaires concerning the ideal and real decision-making power of their parents and their sex-role preferences. Results show that modern values, attitudes, and behavior related to family roles need not necessarily occur in equally advanced industrially but culturally different societies. In spite of considerable similarity with respect to equal decision making for mothers and fathers in both cultures, the Japanese, as compared to the German fathers, exert more influence as perceived by their children. Japanese, as compared to German adolescents, advocate the traditional role differentiation more. However, intra-cultural (modern vs. traditional sub-groups) and gender effects have to be taken into account in each culture. Adolescents in both cultures report a closer relation to their mothers than to their fathers. (Author/RM)