4 Replies
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ControversialAbdul Waheed Ahmad on December 3, 2016 at 6:22 amReply
Introduction
A just society, across the globe, can be achieved by having so many factors simultaneously. One of these factors, regardless of regional differences, is families. Individuals, whether good or bad, are raised, and cared for, in families. Hence, I found myself nodding through many pages, while reading ‘The Pluralization of Families’, chapter 17. However, I would be dishonest if I do not point out some of the areas in the above mentioned chapter that, based on the literature, needs further research and revision. Thus, the weaknesses and strengths of chapter are analyzed, and recommendations are offered in the following paragraphs.
1. Chapter Strengths
The chapter provides excellent information on families’ well-being factors, their core functions, roles, and responsibilities towards other family members, communities and states. It also widely discusses the importance of child care and how that matters in achieving the overall goal of International Panel on Social Progress, IPSP, which are delivering “ a positive and cohesive long-term vision of social progress” to individuals all over the world. The chapter also provides empirical policy recommendations to global change makers and practitioners.
2. Weaknesses
Despite the fact that chapter 17 provides a basic illustration of families’ core functions and responsibilities, and outline well-thought policy recommendation on social, legal and policy matters, a number of factors that could help families flourish in the long term are not discussed thoroughly. The impact of economic migration, for instance, is not discussed widely and policy recommendation are not offered to address this important issue for migrant families. According to literature written in this area, families, or individuals, who migrate might receive higher income in the destination city or country, but they, most of the time, struggle in family life and child-care, which are, according to chapter 17, core functions of the families as institutions. Further, the chapter fails to illustrate women’s unpaid labor in different cultures and contexts. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, the chapter provides limited information on other social factors, such as race and class, impacting families’ well-being in almost every society throughout the world. While, social inequalities remain a crucial factor in undermining family life and individual well-being across the globe.
3. Recommendations
As noted above, the chapter provides a good overview of several important topics regarding the families and their core functions and responsibilities, and the role of key stakeholders, such as states and communities in improving families’ well-being. However, there are a number of weak areas in the chapter that can be improved further. Thus, I suggest following recommendations:
1) Impacts of economic migration on family life, and negative outcomes of it on gender and child care should be widely discussed in the chapter. Practical policy recommendation should be offered broadly addressing this issue for social workers, practitioners, state officials and the general public.
2) Women’s unpaid labor, such as child care, cooking and other works at home, adds value to the whole family income, and cannot be ignored in many cultures. Recent developments in gender difference in paid and unpaid work in the world has been decreased to some extent between 1965 and 1998. Hence, recent developments and understandings on this regard should be included in the chapter, specifically offering policy recommendations based on different contexts and cultures.
3) Social factors, such as class and race, impacting family life and well-being should be taken into consideration in the chapter.
Conclusion
As appreciated across countries and cultures, families are the most important institution in producing and processing individuals. Almost, all individuals, as noted in chapter 17, are born and raised in a family. Hence, the well-being of the families, whether traditional or non-traditional, has a crucial role in empowering governments and states and improving society. The well-being of the families depends on several factors, of which, economy is the bedrock and important for families to flourish. Although families receive economic benefits by having their members migrate to new places, the consequences of migration on child care and family well-being are appreciated in different cultures to be not promising. Globalization and outsourcing of jobs can play a key role in reducing job migration across the globe which will support family bonds and their core functions such as producing good individuals and human development. Governments, throughout the world, must be convinced to respect the core values of free trade, which helps achieve outsourcing skilled labors to new destination. As noted several times, child care is an essential function of the families, and governments and corporations should develop policies that will allow mothers to provide care for their babies when needed.References
Harper, R. A., & Zubida, H. (2014). How does the construction of new families impact
remittances? Diversities, 15(2), p. 6-19Amit, K., & Riss, I. (2014). The subjective well-being of immigrants: Pre-and post-
migration. Social Indicators Research, 119(1), p. 248-249Hummel, D. Inter-State internal migration: State-level wellbeing as a cause. Journal of
Happiness Studies, p. 2150-2163Schmalzbauer, L. (2015). Temporary and transnational: gender and emotion in the lives of
Mexican guest worker fathers. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38(2), p. 225Sayer, L. C. (2005). Gender, time and inequality: Trends in women’s and men’s paid work,
unpaid work and free time. Social forces, 84(1), 285-303.Gooden, Susan T. (2015). Race and Social Equity: A Nervous Area of Government. New
York, NY. Routledge-
ControversialMerike Blofield on December 16, 2016 at 4:49 pmReply
Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback.
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ControversialKyle Davis on December 5, 2016 at 1:04 amReply
MEMORANDUM
To: Marc Fleurbaey
From: Kyle Davis, Binghamton University Master’s of Public Administration Student
Date: November 19, 2016
RE: IPSP Chapter 18: Coming into Being CommentsThere are several ways to improve the IPSP report by building upon its positive qualities. Chapter 18 section 1, Global Health and the Changing Contours of Human Life: Coming into Being, was a well crafted, thoroughly synthesized, academically motivating work that helped show specific problems the international community is facing. However, it was not as effective at painting a picture of what social progress looks like, and it was often stifled by less than engaging language. There are three major concepts that need to be further developed. The IPSP report does not adequately deal with necessary moral considerations of children’s health, such as the definition of personhood and sex selection of infants; it fails to comprehensively look at the intergenerational effects and loss of privilege; the analysis does not suggest what policy considerations should be discussed.
Positives
The IPSP report clearly and empirically demonstrated the problems that persist throughout the world. Children around the world suffer from abusive parents, violence, and alcohol at an alarming rate. The report shows how the mortality rate among adolescents and infants has been sharply decreasing as medical technology advances and the availability of medical resources increases. However, there is still large amounts of inequity especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where access to the market is limited and resources are scarce. The report does a good job of showing both the positive and negative trends on the world stage.Negatives
The wording of the analysis was often very technical. There seemed to be artificial distinctions between sections, and it failed to show the interconnectedness of the subjects. Chapter 18 of the IPSP report was not a smooth read. This may be an appropriate way to educate policy wonks, but it would be less effective at educating the average voter or citizen. Rather than presenting the report in little chunks of information, the numbered sections should be fluid and interconnected.The first major concept that needs to be more adequately addressed are the moral questions surrounding personhood. The ISPS report fails to articulate when personhood begins, and the report fails to give scientific and moral considerations to their conclusion. Due to relatively high mortality rates, some African countries do not mourn over miscarriages or infant deaths in the same way western countries do; western nations are far more likely to have a funeral and formally mourn the loss of infants and fetuses. In order to have a comprehensive view about the well being of children, the concept of personhood cannot be a fluid term, and therefore needs concrete parameters. For instance, the reproductive section claims that whether abortion is acceptable or not is due to specific cultural contexts. The report cannot be ideologically consistent when it says healthy pregnancies are important and fetuses matter then articulate abortion as morally relative action, or even a positive good. The report makes the case that a decision to have an abortion is safer than having a child. However, it does not highlight the horrors of abortion and its ramifications, but rather paints it only in a positive light. The IPSP report should be explicit in its bias and either claim that fetuses should be granted personhood or not. Otherwise, change makers will be unable to find the best course of action. There exists a moral tension between the importance of neo-natal care and abortion that goes unaddressed.
An issue not discussed in the ISPS report is the issue of sex selection of children in eastern countries. Female fetuses are being aborted systematically in order to produce more male children, and this is largely due to China’s one child policy. These systematic abortions have led to roughly 30 million more males more than females in eastern countries. This moral catastrophe is alarming, and this will pose many problems for these countries in the future. This is clearly anti-woman, and it is difficult to see how this creates human flourishing or social progress. How these issues will be resolved is associated with how the problem with personhood is addressed. If the morality of abortion is simply based off the cultural context, it will be hard to argue that this is wrong and is not just a neutral cultural phenomena. If the issue of personhood is not handled appropriately, it creates a moral vacuum in which this dilemma will persist.
The second concept that needs to be developed is intergenerational consequences. Privilege and health benefits are passed on from one generation to the next. The survey mentions how the negative effects during childhood will have reverberating consequences throughout an individual’s life. However, this theme is not developed enough throughout the entire work. A crucial element of children’s health is development, and if children are unable to thrive and grow, they are likely to suffer negative effects as adults. It is important to then consider how these adults will then pass on their disadvantages to their children. This can pose a problem for families, but could affect the entire culture of a nation.
The third concept that needs to be developed is policy. The IPSP report articulates the problem well, but it doesn’t define any policy considerations. Social capital is a concept that wasn’t adequately discussed, but could be an effective way to evaluate the role of a strong civil society. There also needs to be a discussion of if these problems should be solved on a global scale or if each community should be empowered to take action on its own. The range of the studies seem to suggest a more global approach. For instance, should the role of NGO’s simply be a response to government failure or should they be used in their own right? Also, market solutions should be considered. A combination of the governmental, non-profit and profit sectors may all be required to help reduce poverty and suffering throughout the world.
In conclusion, the IPSP report clearly identifies the problem, but needs to be thorough in evaluating the means and the ends from both a moral and long term perspective. If an updated version of the IPSP is created, the format should be more fluid and readable. Overall, the information gathered is thoughtful and will contribute to greater understanding of the problems our world faces.
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ControversialPatr Mann on August 6, 2019 at 8:23 amReply
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In Chapter 17, one reads: “some countries have made significant headway in supporting families as they exist, rather than families as they continue to be imagined. Progress in this area has been patchy however. Some legal systems remain exclusively focused on the heterosexual marital family. Others have broadened their definition of family in some respects but still inadequately recognize some types of families. (…) Legal and cultural patterns should embrace plurality of families rather than punish them; that said, embracing plurality should not foster family forms that are inegalitarian or authoritarian.”
In this forum, you are invited to share experiences about flourishing and hardships in different types of families, and positive/negative aspects in the relations between the family and the rest of society (other families, school, work, the state, religion…).