Families in a Global Context

Families in a Global Context

The book is based primarily on two major theoretical perspectives on the family: the evolutionary and the modern/postmodern perspectives. This implies several different aspects. First, from an evolutionary perspective, the book is concerned with analyzing the historical development of the family and how different socio-economic constraints have played a role in acting on the role of the different members of the family and on the evolution of the family itself.

Second, from a postmodern perspective, the book is also interested in analyzing the family, as the cell of society, from a futuristic perspective, in the sense that it is interesting and useful to see how the family reacts to some of the stimuli from the modern world and how changes that occur nowadays, such as the information technology, change the structure and attributes of the family.

It is somewhat easier to see, following these two definitions, how the two general theories and perspectives complement one another. First of all, the evolutionary perspective should basically cover everything that has been going on historically and that has influenced the development of the family and of the roles that each of the members assume, as well as any correlated issues such as the caring for the children, the relationships that are formed within the family, etc.

There are two different levels worth exploring here. First of all, in each historical period, there are elements that influence the development and existence of the family. For example, in the 21st century, the information technology and increased communication between members of society is likely to impact the way that family members interact with one another. Second, the book also aims to track the way that families evolve in their organization and structure, while, as mentioned previously, follow on how the elements influencing that are also progressing.

From a postmodernist perspective, the authors are also concerned with the future and with analyzing how the changes in technology and the challenges of the 21 century are likely to have an impact on the way that the family will evolve. From this perspective, the aim is also to provide a reasonable estimate and appreciation of how things will develop in the future, a kind of prospective analysis.

There are several other important theories and perspectives that the authors rely on in their study. One of these is that the evolutionary perspective closely follows on anthropological theories. The anthropological theories are also closely linked with the genetic ones. For example, in Chapter 2 from the book, the authors mention that genetic relatedness and the relationship with co-residence in a household is one of the aspects often investigated in their work. Certainly, there is not always a distinct positive correlation between the two, but the analysis on this is always part of the authors' research into families at a global level.

The two perspectives are definitely interrelated, to the degree that the postmodernist approach can be, on occasions, be considered part of the evolutionary process: the authors are often interested in observing and recording the evolution of the family in a new environment, the postmodernist environment, with its new, different and complex challenges.

2. There are several core areas that each of the chapter focuses on. These include general sociodemographic perspectives and an evolutionary perspective on these; the structure of the family, including husband-wife roles; parenting, the role of each parent in raising the child and the way that parent and child interact; and additional areas that could be relevant in some cultures, like, for example, the role and place of the elderly in the family.

The Japanese family is certainly an interesting one from the point-of-view of the changes that go on in these different domains. From a sociodemographic perspective, the Japanese population is an aging population, which means that the number of elderly in the population increases at a higher pace than the number of children being born. This has several explanations, among the most important being the high average life expectancy in Japan (the highest in the world), corroborated with a relatively low fertility rate and small number of children per family in the present. The number of children per woman having been married between 15 and 19 years has decreased from 4.27 in 1940 to 2.21 in 1997 (Roopnarine, Gielen, 2005; page 68) and it probably continues to decrease to the present.

This has translated in a significant decrease of the numbers of members in a family, 2.9 in 1995. The decrease is not only related with the decrease in the number of children per family, but also in the fact that, as an important social change, elderly individuals have begun to live less and less with their children or, at least, to live alone until advanced ages (in the book, it is mentioned that Mrs. Watanabe does expect her parents-in-law to live with them at some point in the future when they will no longer be able to properly care for themselves).

Some of the social relations involved in a Japanese family have changed in the last decades because of socio-economic developments. For example, traditionally, the Japanese families were strongly tied emotionally because of the close contact involved in their houses, small homes, usually with paper walls. Nowadays, many of them live in Western style houses, which reduce family interaction. The technological developments also mean that the family is likely to spend less time together, with Japanese students more willing to go and study abroad in a foreign country.

An important evolutionary change to be mentioned is the fact that, today, many Japanese women get married after the age of 30, which also has repercussions on the development of the family and the number of children in a family. The continuous trend for Japanese women to pursue a successful career has led to this consequence and it is explained by theoreticians as having been caused by several different elements, including the revolt against the traditional perspective and approach towards the family and woman's role in the family and the purpose of Japanese women to succeed in an otherwise unfriendly and challenging professional segment.

The even more interesting aspect is the fact that this may mean, form a demographical perspective, that Japan may need to become more open and more flexible to immigration policies in the future. This can be considered one of the important consequences produced by the change in the Japanese society over the last years.

3. There are many significant differences between the Japanese and the American family and most of these come from the differences in culture, religion and perception between the Japanese and American societies. First of all, one should mention the fact that an American perspective on family is more dynamic than the Japanese perspective. As described in the book with the Watanabe family, the Japanese are much less likely to divorce, even if there are problems in their marriage. With the United States, the divorce rate is significantly high, although it is important to note that this does not mean that the attitude towards family is different.

Indeed, in the United States, just as in Japan, the family is seen as the "cultural family norm" (Roopnarine, Gielen, 2005; page 298). This is best seen in the fact that even those individuals that go through one or more divorces are still likely to get married in the future, seeking marriage as the obvious result of their existence in a couple. Despite the fact that cohabitation rates have also increased, most of the population of the United States marries (over 90%, as studies show -- Ibid. page 300).

The higher divorce rate is probably also explained through the religious differences between Japan and the United States. Despite an important part of the American population being Catholic and, thus, forbidden to divorce, the implications of Confucianism and the rules it puts in society are much stricter and much more respected in Japan. Additionally, the newly discovered increased participation of women in economic life is probably also another tacit explanation.

Another important difference between the Japanese and American families comes from the ethnical background of the spouses. Japan is a homogenous country, with few immigrants, where almost everyone is a Japanese citizen. America, on the other hand, has always been considered a melting pot and this is also reflected in the diverse, often interracial couples. An additional difference comes from the fact that, in Japan, it is often the case that the husband's parents may live with the family as well, while in America, that is almost never a practice.

Maybe one of the most fundamental differences between Japanese and American families comes from the attitude towards children and, as such, from the attitude towards parenting. In the Japanese culture, children are believed to be "in the sphere of gods" (Ibid. page 69), while in the American culture, mostly in the Christian American families, the belief that children are evil is still persistent. The result and impact on parenting is quite obvious: children's misbehavior is much more severely kept under observation and punished, if necessary, in the American family than in the Japanese one.

At the same time, the Japanese parent will likely encourage the child's freedom, especially in the early stages of life, while the American parent will tend to correct from early stages of development any misbehavior or errors. With the relationship mother-child, the Japanese mother will tend to emphasize less the development of the communication side for the child and will prefer a more symbiotic relationship (Ibid. page 71).

4. A family can best be defined through some of the main characteristics it has. However, one should also known that there are some general characteristics that everyone accepts as to what a family is and several others that are only accepted by groups of individuals as to what the family is. As such, both aspects need to be taken into consideration and discussed.

First of all, the family is judged to be the fundamental unity cell of society. From this perspective, the argument arises as to what degree this can be extended to a homosexual couple or whether this is simply something that should involve only a strict perspective, involving a husband and a wife who can thereafter reproduce and have children. A liberal society will point out towards the fact that a family can be formed of any two individuals and that any form of having children is permissive. However, there are numerous arguments against that perspective.

So, in this sense, some groups judge a family in a limited sense of the world, as previously mentioned, but there are also groups who consider the larger picture and a more inclusive framework.

It is difficult to support the argument according to which there is an universal form of family, but one can support the argument that the family types tend to converge at some point under the influence of the different challenges and elements of the modern and postmodern world. On one hand, the informational revolution, carrying along increased communication, limited the influence that parents can have on their children in all cultures and opened them up to face all or most realities of the world. With some notable exceptions where the Internet is still censored or restricted, children and young adolescents can browse the Internet and discover the world.

The newly discovered things help remove some of the dependency that the young member of the family has on his or her family. As he discovers the world, he is able to find out things on his own and better understand the realities in which he lives. At the same time, it is also likely that he will make some of the decisions on his own, without the dependency on family traditions or religious beliefs. Certainly, this varies from case to case and from country to country: in Japan, tradition is probably still more respected than in the United States, but the overall consideration is valid there as well.

On the other hand, the diversification of the economy and the changes that technology brought about also came with a change of mentality at the level of the entire society. This alters the role of the woman inside a family, to different degrees, but in all cultures. As previously mentioned, even in societies such as the Japanese one, women are now much more desiring to be educated, go to work and less inclined to focus on their traditional role in the household. With most families in the world, the household chores have become less and less an attribute of the woman, but rather something that the whole family is likely to participate in.

5. One of the main reasons why women are migrating today is the economic reason. The explanation for this relies in the difference between the wage that a woman can earn in her home country, even with a college education, and the wage she can earn in a third country, even on a lower position, such as a caretaker. As a result, a woman from a poorer country may prefer to migrate for an economic and temporary reason to a country where she will be paid more for the work done.