Families in a Global Context

Charles B. Hennon, Stephan M. Wilson, Charles B. Hennon, Stephan M. Wilson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780789027085
• eBook ISBN: 9781136867095
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Learn what trends and factors are influencing families globally

How are families the same or different around the world? Families in a Global Context puts the similarities and differences into perspective, presenting an in-depth comparative analysis of family life in 17 countries around the world. Contributors discuss different countries' family life by using a standard framework to review major influences and patterns. The framework allows readers to do comparative reflection across several countries on a variety of daily living elements, including social and economic forces such as urbanization and modernization, changes in gender/courtship/spousal patterns, and war. This book provides an informative illustration of current as well as future trends of family life worldwide.

Each chapter in Families in a Global Context describes customary types of family patterns within each country's social organization and culture. Important social, economic, political, and other trends are explored in detail, and major ethnic, religious, or other subcultures are noted emphasizing marriage and family patterns that differ from the more typical ones. The book is extensively referenced and includes tables to clearly present data.

Countries explored in Families in a Global Context include:

• European countries of Wales, Sweden, Germany, Romania, and Italy
• African countries of Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Kenya
• Middle Eastern countries of Turkey and Iran
• Asian and Oceanian countries of India, China, the Philippines, and Australia
• Latin American countries of Brazil, Mexico, and Cuba

Topics discussed for each country in Families in a Global Context include:

• demographics
• mate selection patterns with an emphasis on the dynamics of couple formation
• marital roles
• the place and role of children and parenting in families
• socialization for gender roles
• differences in education, employment, and other opportunities
• major stressors affecting families, coping, and adaptation
• aging and life expectancy issues
• and much more!

Families in a Global Context is an insightful resource for researchers, educators, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students investigating comparative family topics of family life around the world and in cultural context.

Chapter 1

Families in Global Context: Understanding Diversity Through Comparative Analysis

Charles B. Hennon

Stephan M. Wilson

From Africa to Asia, the chapters in this book explore the rich variety of family life in seventeen countries. This book exposes readers to in-depth information about a range of family dynamics in each country and demonstrates the diversity in family structures and functioning around the world, apparent not only across nations, but also within. The reader can learn both about specific facets of family life as components of the larger family system, and about family life contextualized within a specific socioeconomic, political, and religious milieu. Using the UN Human Development Index (United Nations Development Programme, 2006), eight nations can be classified as having High Human Development, seven as having Medium Human Development, and two as having Low Human Development.¹

There are several important features of this book. First, the contributors write about family life in their own natal societies using, to the extent possible, information published in their countries and languages. This approach allows for within cultural understanding. By synthesizing this information, using a comparative analysis approach, readers can gain insights and understanding about families across societies. This allows for cross-cultural or cross-national understanding.

An “insider’s view” (i.e., emic) of family life in each country allows for in-depth understanding of the complexity of family life. This book is thus different from a book written with an “outsider’s view” (i.e., etic) by people having less understanding of the culture and societal organization. While all contributors synthesize research and demographic data, they also offer narrative explanations and interpretations. Each contributor interprets his or her country’s family life based on a lived experience with an insider’s authentic understanding.

Second, all chapters follow a common outline and provide comprehensive information about a broad range of issues typical of family life. Each chapter contains roughly the same type of information. The format allows for a comparative and analytical review of families from different countries. This is to help the reader integrate information into a coherent and meaningful whole. There are, of course, variations among the chapters, as in some cases less information is available. For example, Sierra Leone has been racked for years by war, and there is little social science research to draw upon. In South Africa, Kenya, and Cuba the family as an object of scientific study is in an embryonic state.

Third, the contributors give background information about their countries and the place of families within this broader context. This is to help the reader to have some sense of important historical, political, and religious influences, the economic situation, and other conditions within which families operate. Several contributors write about the influences of industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and Westernization as well as the adoption of information, mass media, and other technology. For example, the chapter on family life in Romania gives extensive information about the transition to a post-Communist society and the concomitant changes in the economy and other aspects of life. Likewise, the chapter on Germany points out the consequences reunification has had on the society and the differences still found between former East and West Germany. Cuban families cannot be understood without an appreciation of living in a socialist state. One cannot understand the twenty-first century Chinese family without some appreciation of the thousands of years of history and its influence on contemporary family life in the world’s most populous country. In Turkey, Mexico, and South Africa there have been policies to increase both “modernization” and resiliency in traditional patterns. These countervailing forces give opportunities to, and place challenges before, today’s families. The chapter on German family life presents a case study of one family’s attempt to balance the demands of modernization and traditionalism.

Organization of the Book and of the Chapters

This chapter offers an introduction to the book and why it is important to consider families more globally. Chapters 2 through 18 are organized according to geographic regions (family life in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Oceania, and Latin America), explore family life in individual societies, and generally observe a standard outline (described in following text). In addition to offering some of our own conclusions and observations, Chapter 19 raises questions about intersections and unique patterns across these seventeen countries and explores some possible crosscutting themes of global families. The editors invite readers to carry out analyses and to forecast likely emerging patterns.

Introduction and overview Each chapter begins by describing the “typical” types of family patterns within the country’s social organization and culture. Important social, economic, political, and other trends are mentioned. Major ethnic, religious, or other subcultures are noted especially as they display marriage and family patterns that differ from the more typical ones. This introduction identifies the family pattern that will be the focus for the analysis in the chapter, that is, the one(s) best describing family life in this country. Demographic and other data are provided, as well as narrative descriptions. A subsection on the family in context gives important information about what might make family life unique in this particular country.

Couple formation and marital dynamics An analysis of mate selection patterns and customs with an emphasis on the dynamics of couple formation is found here. Included are parental or other kin influence on (or arrangement of) marriages, norms and laws influencing couples, average age at first marriage, cohabitation before marriage, and sexual norms and behaviors. Typical marital roles and dynamics are noted, including issues like love and mate choice, sexuality, and dissolution of relationships. Some chapters present information concerning marriage types, some others report what makes marriages successful. While typical patterns are described, diversity within the country is explored. In some cases, wedding customs are explained.

Families and children Each chapter reviews the place and role of children and parenting in families. Average family size, birth intervals, abortion, gender preferences, differences in socialization between boys and girls, and parenting styles and practices are typically noted. Fertility trends are highlighted. Child-care programs and policies and other supports for families are discussed. Many contributors discuss the value of children to parents and to society.

Families and gender Socialization for gender roles is explained. Differences in education, employment, and other opportunities are summarized. Power distribution and employment-family issues are explained, as are division of labor (household, including employment and food production/preparing), family roles, and sexuality. A powerful organizing factor in every society, contributors explain what makes gender important in their countries and why. Trends toward more egalitarian roles are often noted, as are important laws and social policy.

Families and stress Major stressors affecting families, in regard to coping, and adaptation are noted. Careful analyses of one or a few of these are provided. The emphasis is on survival and resiliency in the face of adversity, rather than family deficits. Family supports and services are noted as appropriate.

Families and aging Life expectancy, the proportion of the population considered elderly, and other such facts are typically presented. This section considers aging within a family context. Family caregiving and how this might differ by gender, social class, and ethnicity is given special attention. The role of the elderly within families and society is discussed.

Other family situations Contributors discuss family patterns that diverge from the more typical pattern being described. Topics include remarriages, adoptive families, and extended households, impact of HIV/AIDS or other major health threats on families, impact of poverty on families, or some analysis of a common pattern among an ethnic, religious, or other minority group.

Concluding comments The chapters conclude with some insightful remarks about the current state of affairs surrounding families, and thoughts about what the future might bring.

While all chapters follow a standard outline and contain similar information, they emphasize different topics and have different ways of presenting the information. Occasionally, with the consent of the contributors, additional information, such as current fertility or infant mortality rates, was added. While editing for clarity of expression, an attempt was made not to impact cultural nuances. The reviewing process led to the suggestions for continuity of voice. However, our hope is that we preserved the speakers’ own voice to come through thus honoring the richness of cultural expression.

While there is some uniformity of content, there are many examples of rather unique topics. Just a few of the topics covered include

• virginity tests and reconstructive virginity surgery;
• the relationship between bride price and dowry and how these influence mate selection;
• arranging marriages including the use of matchmakers;
• marriage styles, marrying foreigners for economic gain, and keys to successful marriage;
• walking marriages, temporary marriages, gynaegamy, polygyny, and cohabitation;
• divorce rates, laws, “fatherectomy,” and correlates of divorce;
• different sets of laws governing the marriages and family life of different religious/ethnic groups within the same country;
• parental leaves, child allowances, and parenting practices including not being allowed to spank children;
• names of children having to be gender specific and laws about surnames;
• adoption, child circulation, fosterage, and flexibility in family units;
• female genital mutilation (i.e., female circumcision);
• domestic violence, honor killings, bride burnings, and the Women’s Refuge movement;
• adult children living with their parents;
• caregiving expectations and living arrangements of the elderly, and impacts of policy;
• influences of religion and government policies on family dynamics;
• family hardships related to poverty, war, and social unrest.

Lessons Learned

There are many different ways for families to meet their basic needs as well as to enjoy a certain quality of life. This book does not argue that there are universal or standard ways to solve family problems. With globalization, Westernization, and the movement toward a “global village,” there is some convergence of family life patterns (e.g., marrying for love or more egalitarian gender roles). However, there are still important differences across and within societies, sometimes remarkably so. While there are important lessons to be learned about how different families nurture their members, select their mates, manage their stress, and otherwise function, the contributors represented here do not attempt to suggest the one best answer. Rather, the emphasis is on the diversity of lifestyles and family forms found throughout the world.

While there is a discourse about how lessons learned and/or solutions to family dilemmas in one country can be used in other countries, context must be considered (Hennon, Jones, Roth, & Popescu, 1998). Differences in family traditions, religions, cultural values and norms, and typical worldviews about what is right and normal, must be considered for thorough understanding. While indicating how different people often facing relatively similar circumstances attempt different solutions, this book does not suggest that there is a “one size fits all” approach to describing or supporting families.

Another important element to notice is that one cannot necessarily impose policy ideas, concepts, models, or other ideas from one country/ culture to another. Several contributors make this point. The concept of family is different in China or India than in the West. The concept of nuclear family in Mexico differs in important ways from other Western nations. Typical models of the life cycle or families being coresident units do not fit the reality of South Africa. Issues of gender differ widely across the globe, for example, in Iran and Turkey compared with Romania or Brazil. Concepts like stress are not commonly used in India and family stress is relatively unstudied in Italy. Theoretical models of family change used in other societies do not fit the actualities of Italy.

Understanding Families: Conceptualizations of Culture and Family

This book takes the perspective that globally, some aspects of human behavior are more commonly practiced and thus recognizable and understandable. However, culture shapes many behaviors. Culture refers to what a particular collective of people share in common and distinguishes them from other collectives or cultures. Culture encompasses both an abstraction (underlying values and assumptions) and a lived (specific behavior derived from values and assumptions) aspect. One is observable and one is not. Specific behaviors shared by a cultural group are not arbitrary; they are consistent with what the people of that culture value and believe. Without understanding the abstract values and worldviews, behavior is often misunderstood. Understanding the basis of behavior allows for not being surprised, avoiding a cultural faux pas, operating within the context of this culture, and conducting better research. It does not mean one has to like or accept the behavior or the values.

Another dimension of human behavior is the personal. This is how each person or family is unique from each other even within the same culture. Not everyone sharing a culture thinks, values, or acts alike (Culture Matters, n.d.). There is a substantial amount of diversity in family life when considered from a global perspective. Understanding the differences among families within countries as well as across countries is becoming more important, both for serious students of the family and for enhancing global literacy. The situations that challenge each family and the strategies each family uses to meet its needs and achieve its goals vary widely. Each family is unique in this way, but within cultures and subcultures, and even across cultures, some more general patterns are observable.

Readers of this book will notice that some societies appear to have a more homogenous family pattern than do others. Even while this might be true, given the space limitations, it is not possible to give equal weight to the within country diversity found in many nations. However, contributors do highlight important differences within their societies. For example, differences among ethnic groups in Kenya and Sierra Leone, blacks and whites in South Africa, and the indigenous peoples compared with more recent immigrants in Australia.²

All societies recognize families. However, what is family is often debated. In this book, family is often regarded as an analytical concept or as a socially constructed object (Gubrium & Holstein, 1990). As Gubrium and Holstein (1990, p. 13) stated, “The term ‘family’ is part of a particular discourse for describing human relations in or out of the household.” Family life emerges from commonplace interactions and communications with others. These lead to the understanding of family in terms of relationships acknowledged by the participants as family within a certain cultural context. Even within the more hegemonic forces of a culture indicating what a family “should be,” there will be variations. For example, in the United States, a same-sex couple with children does not fit the standard legal and often moral conceptualization of family. Yet, the people in these relationships consider their relationships and interdependencies as being “their family.” The same can be true of polygamous families living in the western United States. The practice of gynaegamy among the Kisii in Kenya is another example that is discussed in this book. Distinct from lesbian couples, in this practice an older woman assumes the responsibilities of a “husband and father,” adopts the children of the younger woman, and provides for the family. If the younger woman has no children, arrangements are made for a “sperm donor” from among close relatives of the older woman (Wilson, Ngige, & Trollinger, 2003).

Some contributors in this book indicate that the concept of family is a matrix for behavior and social control. It is thus a framework to guide behavior, indicating rights, responsibilities, and obligations. With these ideas in mind, one can come to see that “family” in China does not necessarily mean the same thing as “family” in Sweden or Wales. Each cultural group has expectations for what a family unit is and does. The degree to which a set of family relations comprise a distinct social unit and the range of activities that are carried out by this unit varies from nation to nation, culture to culture, and even family to family.

Culture is not deterministic (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2007; Derné, 1994; Irvine, 1995; Sandstrom, Martin, & Fine, 2003). People pick and choose, innovate, and create ways of living that can then become part of the cultural framework. In this book, culture and societal organization are understood as important influences and traditions for how people actually function in the situational framework of personal lives and family responsibilities. Social groups construct shared expectations about “family” and “not-family” that link notions of dependency, emotional bonding, connectedness, power, distribution of resources, and division of labor.

Understanding Families: Appreciating Intra- And Intercultural Diversity in “Being Family”

Cherishing and valuing families is important. This leads to concern about and social action on behalf of families and their members. Social action (including policies, programs, education, and so on) can be enhanced and more effective with grounding in solid knowledge. However, studying and understanding families are complex processes. The relationships themselves are complex and intimate, often regarded as private, even sacred (Newman, 1999). Results of studies are presented and integrated in this...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table Of Contents
• About the Editors
• Contributors
• Chapter 1. Families in Global Context: Understanding Diversity Through Comparative Analysis
• EUROPE: FAMILY LIFE IN WALES, SWEDEN, GERMANY, ROMANIA, AND ITALY
• AFRICA: FAMILY LIFE IN SIERRA LEONE, SOUTH AFRICA, AND KENYA
• MIDDLE EAST: FAMILY LIFE IN TURKEY AND IRAN
• ASIA AND OCEANIA: FAMILY LIFE IN INDIA, CHINA, THE PHILIPPINES, AND AUSTRALIA
• LATIN AMERICA: FAMILY LIFE IN BRAZIL, MEXICO, AND CUBA
• EMERGING TRENDS
• References
• Index