Families and Social Change

1
Families and Social Change

• Globalization
• World economic stratification
• Implications for families around the world
• Economics
• Health
• Safety, stability, and security
• Race and ethnic relations
• Predictions for the future
• Main themes of the semester

2
Globalization driving force for change

• Global interdependence
• Economic futures are intertwined
• National problems become international
• Families affected by conditions around the world

3
World Economic Stratification

• Countries stratified into 3 levels
• Core (wealthy, highly developed, slow pop.
  growth, high standard of living) U.S., Europe
• Periphery (poor, less developed, rapid pop.
  growth, lower standard of living) -Africa
• Semi-periphery (beginning to develop may become
  core) India, China

4
World Economic Stratification

• System dominated by multinational Corporations
  (MNCs)
• Based in core countries
• Divide operations among several countries
• Use labor of periphery countries
• Profits go to corporate elite, some to core
  countries
• Outside control of any one government
• Extremely powerful

5
Implications for world system

• Core countries
• 15-20 of worlds population controls
• 80 of corporate markets
• 68 of foreign investment
• 50 of energy use
• High political power
• High standard of living
• High national security expenditures

6
Implications for world system

• Periphery countries
• Dependent on core countries
• Aid from core countries has declined
• 1/3 of work force un- or under-employed
• Poverty, low standard of living
• Some employment opportunities for women
• Have not greatly changed womens roles

7
Economic implications for families

• Core Jobs lost to periphery countries
• High cost of national security funds diverted
  from social programs
• Income inequality 200 richest people gt 2.4
  billion poorest
• Periphery High levels of unemployment
• Migration to urban areas, disruption of villages
• More jobs for women, BUT their daughters abandon
  school for household labor

8
Health implications for families

• Core slow pop. growth high proportion of
  elderly strain on health care system
• World travel transportation of diseases
• Periphery have technology from core, less
  disease, lower mortality
• Results in higher population growth.
• Health care not available in all rural areas.
• Selling organs OK in some countries affects
  poorest classes.

9
Safety, Security, Stability

• Lives disrupted by poverty, exploitation, war.
• Children may
• Witness extreme violence
• Lose homes because of political strife (12
  million in 2002)
• Be killed or disabled by war, violence (7
  million)
• Become orphaned by violence (1 million)
• Orphaned children large increase in
  international adoptions.

10
Safety, Security, Stability

• Central Asia, Africa world of refugees
• 80 women
• 45 lt 18 yrs. old
• 14 lt 5 yrs. old
• Afghanistan to Pakistan
• Between African countries
• Most countries unprepared to handle refugees

11
Terrorism and war as global issues

• Strategy to fight terrorism is international
  issue
• Insecurity, fear, social disruption endemic
  stress in some areas
• Civil rights may be affected
• Women and children increasingly used by
  terrorists

12
Racism, hate

• Becoming normalized in some places not
  necessarily fringe or extremist.
• Racial, religious differences have intensified
• Effects on families
• Prejudice, discrimination, limited opportunity
• Loss of civil rights
• Forced migration refugee trend
• Violence (ethnic cleansing, genocide)

13
What does the future hold?

• Individualism, private family around the world
• Cultural variation in family forms, values
• Economic divisions will intensify
• Family policies slow to develop
• Global interdependence will benefit elite
• Grassroots organization may evolve for working
  classes

14
Major themes of this course

• Connection between family and society
• Connection between mode of production and family
  form
• Land ownership, patriarchal extended family
• Industrialization, breadwinner-homemaker family
• Post-industrial, womens employment, individual
  family

15
Major themes of this course

• Primacy of private family, emotional bond
• Weakest but most satisfying kind of bond
• Nurture the emotional bond with
• Time
• Communication
• Balance