Social change and the family: Comparative perspectives from the west, China, and South Asia

This paper examines the influence of social and economic change on family structure and relationships: How do such economic and social transformations as industrialization, urbanization, demographic change, the expansion of education, and the long-term growth of income influence the family? We take a comparative and historical approach, reviewing the experiences of three major sociocultural regions: the West, China, and South Asia. Many of the changes that have occurred in family life have been remarkably similar in the three settings—the separation of the workplace from the home, increased training of children in nonfamilial institutions, the development of living arrangements outside the family household, increased access of children to financial and other productive resources, and increased participation by children in the selection of a mate. While the similarities of family change in diverse cultural settings are striking, specific aspects of change have varied across settings because of significant pre-existing differences in family structure, residential patterns of marriage, autonomy of children, and the role of marriage within kinship systems.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45661/1/11206_2005_Article_BF01124383.pd

Luisteren naar woorden of kijken naar gedrag? Waarden over gezin en samenleving in België en Nederland

The article discusses the findings of a study which compared family and society values in Belgium and the Netherlands. A significantly large number of Belgians as compared to Dutch believe that parents must do their best for their children, that both father and mother are necessary for children and that having children is a necessary life achievement for women. In comparison, Dutch were more acceptable of unmarried motherhood, extramarital relations, relations under the legal age, homosexuality and prostitution. However, the scores were nearly identical on conditions that were considered necessary for a happy marriage. Both Dutch and Belgians emphasized the importance of couples having same political and religious opinions, sufficient income and an adequate housing