Television “Effects” on International Family Change

Integrating Life Course, Globalization, and the Study of Racial and Ethnic Families

“…As economic insecurity brought on by globalization again becomes the unfortunate reality of young people's lives in particular, family assistance is emerging once more as critical to survival (Jayakody et al, 2008;Lesthaeghe, 1995;Shanahan, 2000). This raises the question of how the intersection of individual and family need will play out specifically in increasingly pluralistic Western environments that often do not acknowledge familial obligations and reciprocal interactions anymore, and where individual choices are thought to undergird all decision making (Brown et al, 2014;Widmer & Ritschard, 2009).…”

“…What we are currently witnessing is a context in which the family unit, however it is defined, still plays a crucial role in the life chances and trajectory of its members-in both the West and other regions of the world. Relationship formation will still be constrained or enhanced, for instance, by access to resources such as education and having a lucrative job, or by membership in a certain religious or ethnic group (Jayakody et al, 2008).…”

“…Although most contemporary scholars acknowledge that race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity are an integral aspect of the study of families (Bengtson & Allen, 1993;Dannefer, 1984;Jayakody, Thornton, & Axinn, 2008), theorizing about their effects has not kept up with other theoretical developments in the field of family science. Moreover, globalization, broadly defined as the increasingly interconnected nature of social and economic life, has not been a significant part of the analysis.…”

“…We have an overt recognition of the demographic changes in our society, but theorizing about family diversity and dynamism is still in its infancy. Our families, communities, and societies are changing rapidly, but our theoretical frameworks do not adequately capture this transformation (Appadurai, 1999;Burton et al, 2010;Giddens, 2003;Huinink & Feldhaus, 2009;Jayakody et al, 2008).…”