Mapping the world’s family patterns
Last month while we were still getting organised after the holidays, the well-known US organisation Child Trends released a very informative report on families around the world. The World Family Map is the first annual report from a project which involves a number of collaborating institutions around the world, and it is helpful in understanding some of the larger forces shaping families and the welfare of children.
As the report points out, there are dramatic demographic, cultural and economic changes affecting family life.
The percentage of children living in two-parent families is also falling… Likewise, individualism is on the ascendancy, as is equality between the sexes, while family-centered values and adherence to traditional gender roles are losing ground in many regions. The global economic slowdown is also putting major pressures on family life, yet it is precisely in these times that strong families are needed to support optimal child and youth development.
The report is “designed to paint a holistic portrait of global family life by mapping trends in family structure, family socioeconomics, family processes, and family culture in every region of the world.” It will be the first to provide internationally comparative data for low-, middle- and high-income countries on key characteristics of families.
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