Global Citizenship
Challenges For Families And Globalization
As families deal with this process of globalization, they face a number of challenges. One outcome of information dissemination and immediate transmission of news is the concentration of negative messages. News about earthquakes, terrorist attacks, political scandals, and economic disasters are combined from around the world. This situation may create the impression that disasters and threats are increasing and ever-present. It is easy to build a picture of the world as a dangerous place and believe that humanity is racing down the road to destruction. Families are faced with the task of processing the onslaught of international news and international communication technology and putting them in a manageable perspective.
Another challenge for families is the domination of some cultures in the globalization process. This domination could be described as economic, cultural, and intellectual imperialism. Some of the primary economic entities that dominate the international scene are MTV, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, McDonald's, Levis, and Microsoft (Qvortrup, cited in Qvortrup et al. 2001). Culturally, domination can lead to a characterization of good parenting or positive family life to be defined as the parenting or family life of the dominant culture (Flanagan 2001). The challenge for families that are not part of the dominant group is to assert themselves and define health and excellence from their own viewpoint. The challenge for those in the dominant group is to become aware of their position of power and take responsibility for the messages they share while developing an openness to and knowledge of others.
Accompanying the inequitable distribution of power is an inequitable distribution of the world's resources. The gap between the standard of living in the United States and Western Europe when compared to Somalia and Nepal is almost incomprehensible. "Even in the United States of America . . . there are probably more poor and illiterate people than in any other nation if we take its economic capacities into consideration" (Qvortrup 2001, p. 45). The increasing interactions and connection among the world's people cannot help but make those inequities evident. The poor and the rich alike must interpret the contrast, and efforts must be made to reduce the gap if peaceful coexistence is to be possible.
Perhaps the largest challenge is for families to develop a vision of the type of world in which they want to live. Individuals who are interested in and committed to families need to recognize that globalization is a trend relevant to family life. International issues cannot be ignored. Families can simply accept the proclamations and interpretations of the dominant media and politicians; they can ignore the issue and thereby let the dominant forces determine the global agenda unchallenged; or they can explore their values, culture, and dreams and choose to live a life conscious of the global environment.
See also: ACCULTURATION; COMPUTERS AND FAMILIES; FAMILY VALUES; IMMIGRATION; MIGRATION; POVERTY; SOCIALIZATION; TELEVISION AND FAMILIES; TIME USE; WAR/POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Bibliography
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Tóth , O. (2001). "Hungarian Adolescents' Attitudes Toward their Future, Peace, and the Environment." In Families as Educators for Global Citizenship, ed. J. A. Myers-Walls and P. Somlai, with R. Rapoport. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.
Watanabe, H. (2001). "Transformations of Family Norms: Parents' Expectations of Their Children's Family Lifestyle." In Families as Educators for Global Citizenship, ed. J. A. Myers-Walls and P. Somlai, with R. Rapoport. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.
JUDITH A. MYERS-WALLS
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaModern Marriage & Family IssuesGlobal Citizenship - Societal Influences, Global Events, Parental Teaching, Children As Teachers, Challenges For Families And Globalization