Global Family Concerns and the Role of Family Life Education: An Ecosystemic Analysis
| Published date | 01 February 2009 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00531.x |
| Author | Carol A. Darling,Kaija Turkki |
| Date | 01 February 2009 |
CAROL A. DARLING Florida State University
KAIJA TURKKI University of Helsinki*
Global Family Concerns and the Role of Family Life
Education: An Ecosystemic Analysis
We surveyed colleagues from 4 international
professional organizations involved with fami-
lies in order to examine global family concerns
and the role of family life education from an
ecosystemic perspective. Our sample represented
6 continents and 50 countries. Survey results indi-
cated that family education and related course-
work were available in all continents along with
considerable public interest in family education.
International public concern about family issues
was related to population characteristics, values
related to parenting and childrearing, interest in
family and health legislation/regulations, and
public interest in family, parent, and marriage
education.
Because of globalization, today’s families live in
a world that is complex, interconnected, and con-
tinuously evolving because of changes in the
economy, environment, technology, and migra-
tion (Stiglitz, 2007). Global impact also occurs
when regions experience the ravages of environ-
mental disasters, war, and terrorism that affect
families worldwide, as they deal with not only
the physical and emotional pain of the actual acts
of nature and terrorism but also the fear and
despair that encompass them. World health issues
are also paramount as various countries are facing
the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS, along with
the distress about containing the emergence of
new diseases (Adams & Trost, 2005). Further-
more, because of economic globalization,
work-family issues are becoming increasingly
important. There have been greater pressures
for workers to accept lower wages, longer hours,
and fewer benefits, or companies will move their
factories to another country. Thus, countries are
not implementing family-friendly policies to help
families balance work and caregiving responsi-
bilities (Heymann & Bunim, 2006). This results
in widening demographic, economic, political,
and ecological disparities; societal concerns
related to the role of women, purpose of marriage,
and increasing divorce rates; as well as interna-
tional migration and a disconnection of family
members between their nuclear and extended
families. Some families maintain communica-
tion, but quality time is lost and family members
are not present for significant family transitions,
thereby losing important contacts over time.
Globalization involves the process by which
experiencing everyday life is becoming standard-
ized (Moran, 2003). Thus, it is important to pro-
mote a global consciousness about families that
involves personal and public concern about (a)
becoming aware of how interconnected the world
is and how our actions are linked to family and
environmental well-being; (b) having a breadth
of knowledge about the world and the systemic
Department of Family & Child Sciences, Florida State Uni-
versity, P.O. 3061491, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1491
(cdarling@fsu.edu).
*Department of Home Economics & Craft Science, FIN
00014 University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 8, Siltavuorenpenger
10, Helsinki, Finland.
Key Words: ecosystem, family life education, global family
concerns.
14 Family Relations 58 (February 2009): 14–27
A Publication of
the National Council on
Family Relations
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