Pre-lesson Assessment Activities sketch that shows your or make a f the parents. rs and the gender © or sketches. What is your own idea of a family? Draw a picture definition. In your drawing, be sure to specify the membe Compare your work with your classmates’ own drawings Building Vocabularies + Annulment + Matrilocal + Divorce + Monogamy + Family «Patriarchy + Financial Literacy + Patrilineal + Household + Polyandry + Kibbutz «Polygamy + Polygyny + Legal Separation + Post-modernism + Marriage + Matriarchy + Same-Sex Marriage + Matrilineal + Transnational Families People to Remember + Zygmunt Bauman + Friedrich Engels + Anthony Giddens + Emma Goldman The Problem of Defining the Family Traditional Definitions Filipi il ‘ relsionsipweveryinperenceae The anak-magulang complex and the kamag-anak are culturally and pe ee eee ener ne ina (mother), and anak (children) to our immediate family b y significant to us who treasure filial attachment not only ' but also to our extended family (tiyahin and tiyuhin, inaanak, lolo, and lola). This fami conte eee supplies a basic sense of belonging, stability, and a ‘at we Filipinos naturally draw our sense of self-identityThis traditional view of the family le. indispensable unit or institution of society. Tod: family raise doubts about its future, Consider the 1 What do all these statistics and trendin; Cohabitation and declining rate in marriage rede! the labor force and migrating to work, do these indicate the decline of th family? Will the family survive the future if do: The Society in the Individual isan ‘ads many people to think that the family is ” ay, however, many experts who study the following statistics: Declining m arriage rate and increasing rate of cohabitation From 2005 up to 2015, the number of marriages declined continuously. Registered marr declined by 2.9% in 2014 and 3.6% in 2015, according to Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA). As of 2015, around 1,135 couples get married each day. At least 42% of couples tied the knot through civil wedding, while 36 percent said their "I do's” during Roman Catholic ceremonies. In a span of 10 years, the reported marriages decreased by 20.1% from 2005 to 2015 (Domingo 2017), Increasing annulment rate The number of Marriage annulment cases in the Philippines has risen by in the last decade with at least 22 cases filed every day, according to a report by the Catholic bishops’ news agency. Citing data from the Office of the Solicitor General, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News. said the number of annulment cases had risen from 4,520 in 2001 to 8,282 in 2010 (Torres 2017). 40% Increasing number of cases of domestic violence The 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that one in five women aged 15-49 has experienced physical violence since age 15; 14.4% of married women have experienced physical abuse from their husbands; and more than one-third (37%) of separated or widowed women have experienced physical violence, implying that domestic violence could be the reason for separation or annulment ("Statistics on violence against Filipino women” 2014) Increasing number of women entering the labor force The number of employed and unemployed Filipinos in October 2008 was estimated at 34.5 million, and 2.5 million respectively. Female employment was estimated at 13.3 million compared to 21.3 million males, Female unemployment rate for the same year was relatively lower at 6.5% which is equivalent to 929,000 thousand compared to male at 7.0% which is estimated at 16 million. Of the 2 million OFWs in 2008, female OFWs were estimated at 968 thousand (48.4%) or an increase of 13% from the 857,000 estimated female OFWs in 2007. Male OFWs accounted for 51.6% or roughly 1 million of the total OFWs in 2008 (Journal of Philippine Statistics 2011). g issues indicate? Does the rising rate of fine the family? fmanywomenareentering e traditional mestic violence is on the rise? Before we can; : hat a family is answer these interesting and timely questions, we have to define first and explore its structure. The difficulty of defining what a family is hinges on the diversity oer exist today around the world in various cultures, as well as on the diversity 9 S0ty arrangements that had existed in history. Experts on the family, therefore, agree : at “there is no single conect definition of what a family is” (Fine 1993, 235). The definition of family varies according to one’s personal experience, cultural background, sexual orientation, and moral outlook. The shortest but probably the most controversial definition of the family can be found in Mike Morris's Concise Dictionary of oc and =ultural Anthropology (2012), which states that family is “a group of people who havea common residence and/or relationship, and who share economic and reproductive ties (62). This definition is often found in the government census’ definition of the family. The best way to look for the definition of “family” is to look at ie ene census’ definition. For example, the Census Bureau of Canada defines the family: Census family refers to a married couple and the children, if any, of either or both spouses; a couple living common law and the children, if any, of either or both partners; or, a lone parent of any marital status with at least one child living in the same dwelling and that child or those children. All members of a particular census family live in the same dwelling. A couple may be of opposite or same sex. Children may be children by birth, marriage or adoption regardless of their age or marital status as long as they live in the dwelling and do not have their own spouse or child living in the dwelling. Grandchildren living with their grandparent(s) but with no parents present also constitute a census family. (http://www.statcan.ge.ca/concepts/definitions/c-r-fam-eng.htm, retrieved August 11, 2014) The United Nations (UN) uses the term “nucleus family”: A nucleus family is of one of the following types (each of which must consist of persons living in the same household): 1. amarried couple without children; 2. amarried couple with one or more unmarried children; 3. a father with one or more unmarried children; or 4. a mother with one or more unmarried children. Couples living in consensual unions should b i m e regarded IS family" 2015). garded as married couples (“Censu: Common in these definitions are the following elements: (1) the biological com- Ponent (with a child, married); (2) the functi , , 4 ional com| ildren and provides economic support); and ponent (takes care of the chi (3) the residenti: ivi household or common residence). tial component (living under oneWhether the family is univers Lor wh all forms of societies, will depend on the de ther it has existed from the beginning, I" fnition of the family, But Friedrich Engels, perty and the State (1884), is right to argue ation to the material and economic conditions of societi¢ Families have never been static all throug who wrote The Origin of the Family, Private P that families do evolve in ret hout human evolution, All definitions of the family need to address three components: residential, piotogical, and functional roles, If one defines the family simply he nuclear family, meaning two adult couples with children, then this can be challenged immediately by the case of Kibbutz in Israel and the Nayar in India, If one defines the family as taking, care of the children, then it can be shown that in many societies, socialization is carried by Kinship groups and not the nuclear family. Another challenge to the nuclear definition of the family is the emerging single-parent households, gay couples living together, and s families whose members do not live may not contradict and discredit the de nature and functions of the family. over: regularly with the family. These examples finition of the family, but they challenge the The family, as a basic unit of society, performs several important functions or roles for society: (1) for biological reproduction; (2) as the primary agent of socialization of children; (3) as the institution for economic cooperation through division of labor; and (4) tocare for and nurture children to become responsible adults The Nayar Marriage and Family: An Exception? In spite of the apparently casual attitudes toward sex and fatherhood, a number of rules were strictly applied and failure to observe them could lead to severest punishments including: ostracism and death. The most important focused on two ritual acts: the tying of the tali and the payment of the midwife’s fees. In the tali ritual, girls and boys from allied lineages collectively performed a symbolic wedding ceremony in which each “groom” tied a gold ornament on his “brides” neck. In the successive rites, the couple was secluded and may or may not have engaged in sexual activity (usually the girl was too young). At the conclusion of the ritual, no specific rights or obligations between the couple were established, other than the expectation that the “wife” and her children would make special mourning observances when her “husband” died. However, without the tying of the tali, a woman could not engage in any sexual activity. If she gave birth, her child would be considered to be illegitimate. After the Ceremony, she could start receiving lovers, provided that they did not come from a lower hereditary caste or subcaste as she did, When the woman bore children, one of the lovers Was expected to acknowledge his paternity by presenting gifts to the midwife who assisted in the delivery. While this, like the tali tying, was an almost exclusively symbolic act and incurred no subsequent responsibility, it was considered essential to both the legitimacy and the status of the child insofar as it provided an assurance that it was not the Product of a relationship between its mother and a socially inferior man (Schwimmer 2003)Babies in Kibbutz Why the Definition of Family Matters In social science discourse, the concept of the family is politically and ideologically loaded" or imbued with sets of politically and culturally contested ideas about the conduct their intimate lives, as well as the live with. Article | of the Philippine Family ting family based on the union: correct or moral ways in which people should right kind of people with whom they should Code fixes the definition of marriage and the resu! ‘ontract of permanent union between a man and a woman Marriage is a special c and family life. tt entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal is the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution. ("Executive Order No. 209" 1987) The Philippine Family Code therefore excludes same-sex marriage and polyga- mous unions. Whether one provides a normal definition of the family or normative model, one must accept the fact that families do change. One must acknowledge that there are other cultures that define the family in a very different way, but the controversy regarding the definition of the family is not just about the family as such. The definition of the family has important consequences for family policy and its goals. It also defines who the members are. By identifying the members, one also provides a legal definition that determines what benefits the family members may get. For example, children classified as “illegitimates” are defined as children born out of wedlock. 50. Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics- When the Philippine Family Code was enacted in 1987, it declared that “illegitimate” children must use the surname of the mother. They were not allowed to use the surname of their biological father so it created a class of children that have no middle names or having the surname also as their middle name. Article 176 was largely ignored by fathers who recognized their child and allowed their surname to be used even if there was nO benefit of marriage. Congress saw it fit to amend Article 176 by enacting Republic Act 9255 in 2004. Now, illegitimate children can use the surname of their biological father as long as the latter formally recognizes the child, Another case is the support for an illegitimate child. An illegitimate child is entitled to receive support from his/her biological father, provided that the latter recognized the child as his own. If the biological father did not recognize the child as his own, then support cannot be demanded unless a court order is obtained for that matter. These cases are very common. The benefits that a family member gets, whether illegitimate or not, whether recognized or not, will depend on the definition of the family. For some reason, legally adopted children are better situated when it comes to inheritance as they are treated like legitimate children. Another typical case is that of cohabitants. Cohabitants are couples who share a common residence with a child, just like a nuclear family, but without the benefit of marriage. In some countries, cohabitants are not recognized as “official” families. Therefore, they are not accorded health, social security, and retirement benefits of the partner. In some cases, in some countries, cohabiting homosexual couples are not given hospital visitation rights for the sick partner. Something to Think About! Fewer Filipinos have been tying the knot in the past decade as marriage has taken a low priority for courting couples because of rising poverty. The recent National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) report on the declining number of marriages from 2001 and 2010, particularly church weddings, was “only a manifestation of [the] poverty and helplessness of the majority in our country today,” said Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco. Ina report released last June, the NSCB reported that the number of registered marriages had dropped by 13 percent from 559,162 in 2001 to 482,480 in 2010, The NSCB said this represented an annual compounded decline rate of 15 percent during the period, in contrast with the estimated two percent population growth rate during the period (Cabacungan 2014). When do you plan to get married? Why? What do you think are the conditions that must be satisfied before you get married? Among these conditions, what is the ‘most important for you? The Society in the IndividualFamily and Household The UN differentiates household from a family: ; ff From the definitions, it is clear that household and family are toa oerent concepts that cannot be used interchangeably in the same census. The difference between the household and the family is that: 1. ahousehold may consist of only one person but a family must contain at least two members; and the members of a multi-person household need not be related to each other, While the members of a family must be related ("Demographic and Social Statistics” 2018). One of the problems in defining a family is equating the family with household. Hence, family members who are separated by distance, especially overseas Fi workers (OFWS), strictly speaking, cannot be considered as a family. If a child has divorced or legally separated parents, the child may have two families but the child may not belong permanently to either one, mother or father. In the case of a family whose members are separated by distance, the family roles and functions may still apply due to the current developments in modes of modern communications such as Skype, Apple's FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Tango, ezTalks, and Google Hangouts. Hence, a broader definition of the family must take into account these new developments. Moreover, studies would show that contact among family members who do not belong to the same household is high. It is also incorrect to say that parents are always the ones who take care of the siblings. The basic family is not always the fundamental unit of economic cooperation. Among artisans in pre-industrial Europe, the essential economic unit was not the family but rather the household, typically consisting of the artisan’s family plus assorted apprentices and even servants (Laslett 1965). Hence, family and household are not the same thing. While they often overlap, it is also frequently the case that households consist of members who are not family, such as servants or lodgers, while family membership, in terms of shared consumption, Production and ties of intimacy, often extends over several households. Types of Families Nuclear and Extended Families The basic distinction in classifying families is to consider the membership. The puclear family is the most basic form of family and consists of a married couple and their iological or adopted children. The nuclear family is found in all societies, and it is from this form that all other types of family forms are derived, Most nuclear families are found in urban areas such as Metro Manilato ) Figure 1. The Nuclear Family [SSS Nuclear Family Extended Family Extended families are families that include the other members of the kinship group such as your uncles, grandparents, and cousins. The diagram above shows how nuclear families, when they combine or live together, become extended families. Around the world, especially in more developed societies, there is the process called nuclearization of the families (Kumar 2011). This process refers to the growing predominance of nuclear families over extended families in both rural and urban areas, which is brought about by urbanization and economic development. As more and more Western values, such as individualism and the value of individual choice, spread among non-Western families, couples tend to establish new households independent of the traditional kinship structure, nuclear family The Society in the Individual 33Nuclear and extended families can be classified either as family of orientation or family of procreation. The family to which one belongs is the family of orientation. When, one establishes a new family through marriage, it is called the family of procreation, Families and the Rule of Descent Families can be classified according to their basic rules of descent. As a social organization, the family is a descent group. The rules of descent are very important for maintaining the social cohesion and solidarity among families, clans, and relatives. Oneis born into a descent group. Descent-group members believe they share and descend from common ancestors. The group endures despite its membership changes—as members are born and die, move in and move out. Descent groups can be of two types: unilineal and ambilineal. Some societies trace their descent through the unilineal descent either through the father or the mother. With a rule of matrilineal descent, people join the mother's group automatically at birth and stay members throughout life. With patrilineal descent, people automatically have a lifetime membership in the father’s group (Kottak 201, 454). In ambilineal descent rules, the children can opt to claim lineage on either their father or their mother's family group, Descent groups are important to maintain the continuity and survival of a group. It is not only the descent of the member that is crucial, but also the residence rule for married couples after marriage. In modern Western societies and those influenced by the Western way of life, couples often practice neolocal residence. The couples have the freedom and option to live separately and independent of their respective families. Much more common in non-Western societies is patrilocality. A married couple moves to the husband's father's community, so that the children will grow up in their father’s village (Kottak 2011, p. 455). The rules of postmarital residence usually go hand in hand with the rules of descent. A patrilineal kinship group therefore is often found with a patrilocal residence rule.Marriage and the Family pefining Marriage Human marriage is a socio-sexual institution, a part of the wider institutional complex of the family. Marriage is also an arrangement of procreation, a way of caring for the offspring of sexuality, defining their legitimate descent, and the main or ultimate responsibility for their upbringing. From a societal level of analysis, the institution of marriage represents all the behaviors, norms, roles, expectations, and values that are associated with the legal union of a man and a woman. Edward Westermark (1891), in his famous book History of Human Marriage, defined marriage as "a relation of one or more men to one or more women which is recognized by customs or law and involves certain rights and duties both in case of parties entering into the union and in the case of children born of it.” In this vein, marriage may be seen as a natural order, characteristic of most birds and some mammals, including most, but not all, humans. The first great sociological historian of marriage, Westermarck (1891, 19-20), held that “marriage is nothing else than a more or less durable connection between male and female, lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till after the birth of the offspring” (quoted in Therborn 2004, 134). The Family Code of the Philippines defines marriage as a “special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.” Marriage is at the center of the kinship system. Marriage creates alliances and “fictive kinship” among members of clans and tribes. Kinship consists of three aspects: (1) it comprises forms of nomenclature and classification; (2) rules which affect people's kinship behavior, covering everything from criminal laws to ideas about good manners; and (3) what people actually do (Kottack 2008). Each society in the world has a set of words used to refer to relatives called kinship terminology. New spouses are tied inextricably to members of the kin network. The nature of these ties or obligations varies in different cultures. In most cases, marriage serves as a ritual that creates alliance among kin groups. Thus, whether one marries within one’s own group or outside is important in kinship structure. It is important in cementing kin structure. Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class, or social group, rejecting others on such basis as being unsuitable for marriage or for other close personal relationships. Religious groups such as the Amish, Mormons, Catholics, and Jews have rules of endogamy, though these are often violated when marriage takes place outside the group. Castes in India and Nepal are also endogamous. Exogamy is the practice of marrying outside one's group, which is common in modern societies. Rules of exogamy create links The Society in the Individual 55Detween groups, while rules of endogamy preserve separateness diia excsuonicys wins are a means of maintaining boundaries between one group and other groups (Rosman, Rubel, and Weisgrau 2009, 102). Marriage as a union of individuals also establishes consanguineal (“blood relation,” from the Latin consanguinitas) relations and relations of affinity. Two people are related to each other by consanguinity if they have a common ancestor or one is a descendant of the other. Two people are related by affinity if they are married, or if one person is related by blood to the other person's spouse. These links between kin groups established by marriage are called affinal links. People also rely on social relationships made by means of ritual observances, which are known as godparenthood or compadrazgo. For example, godparenthood creates a set of relationships that, though nonkin in their derivation, utilize a set of terms based on kinship. — 1st 2nd 3rd ath Degree Degree Degree Degree child or | grandchild, | great-grandchild, | great-great-grandchild, parent sister, nlece, grandniece, brother, or | nephew, grandnephew, grandparent | aunt, first cousin, L uncle, or great aunt, great-grandparent | great uncle, or 1 great-great-grandparent Relationship of Affinity Person 1st Degree 2nd Degree spouse, brother-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, father-in-law, spouse's grandparent, son-in-law, spouse's grandchild, daughter-in-law, grandchild’s spouse, or stepson, spouse of grandparent stepdaughter, stepmother, or stepfather& = a A Hindu marriage ceremony ny societies, marriages between first cousins or between uncle and niece are ced. Such practices are often explained by the property and inheritance rules of that jety. In some cases, these marriages are pursued for reproductive reasons. Like the definition of the family, the definition of marriage as an institution varies across cultures and people around the world. Today, many scholars believe that defining marriage simply as a union between a male and a female adult is inadequate. Many societies already recognize same-sex marriage (also known as gay marriage). Itis marriage between two people of the same biological sex and/or gender identity. Legal recognition of same-sex marriage or the possibility to perform a same-sex marriage is sometimes referred to as marriage equality or equal marriage, particularly by supporters. The first laws enabling same-sex marriage in modern times were enacted during the first decade of the 21st century. In 1971, in Baker v. Nelson, the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected a claim to marriage rights by a same-sex couple, the first such reported case in the United States (Hull 2006, p. xiii). As of June 28, 2014, 16 countries have allowed same- sex marriages. On October 1989, Denmark became the first country in the world to legally recognize same-sex unions, after passing a bill legalizing “registered partnerships” in a 71-47 vote. in 2003, Belgium became the second country to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. Something to Think About! The Philippine laws do not recognize same-sex marriage. But the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, already recognizes same-sex marriage. The first same-sex marriage among the NPA was celebrated in 2005 between gay couple Andres and Jose which happened in Southern Mindanao They separated years later, and one of them died from sickness in the mountains (Manupig 2017). _The Society in the Individual 57r Marriage of Maymay and Dianne under NPA ceremony, senervtiere in Dayan, 201 One recent study of same-sex marriages argues that same-sex mariage Fallows the conventional symbolism and meanings attached to traditional heter: According to Kathleen Hull (2006), "marriage serves asa cultural resoutee for y committed same-sex couples. Couples draw upon langues marriage to express—to each other, to ft iends and family, and to the broader society Hilal tal tan wy with, re and rituals associate terminology the nature of their relationship. The cultural trappings of marti and symbols—stand as ready-made cultural tools for couples Lo expre their commitment to a lifetime of mutual support. The power of martiasy resource lies in the fact that its dominant meanings are so widely shared in Contemporary Western culture” (197). their love and vcoltural Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages Polygamy is a marriage that includes more than two partners, When aman is matted to more than one wife at a time, the relationship is called polygyny; and when a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry, If a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives, it can be called group or conjoint marriage. In the case of Jacob in the Old Testament, a man married several sisters. This practice is known as sororal polygyny. In anthropology, the terms monogamous and polygamous families are applied regardless whether the state recognizes the union or not. While many people think that monogamy is natural, itis also true that many societies, such as the Mormons and the Muslims, practice polygamy. The Trobriand Islanders and the Kanuri of Nigeria explicitly forbid sororal polygyny or a husband marrying, several sisters. The Kanuri explanation for this Prohibition is that the good relationship between two sisters should not be undermined by the unavoidable friction that arises between Wo Co-wives (Rosman, Rubel, and Weisgrau 2009, 104). 58 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politicsy Polyandry is less rare. Most people who practice it are found among the Himalayans: societies that engage frequently in wars and therefore have less male population tend to practice polyandry. In the case of societies where women are treated less equal than men, polygyny is common. Romantic Love, Mate Selection, and the Family In modern societies, monogamy is often associated with romantic love, where one marries out of love. Many young people today believe that people should marry out of free will and not based on forced choices or simply due to traditional requirements. Such a trong belief is often coupled with the assertion that one has to assert one’s choice even if it could cost huge sacrifices. Romantic love that is glamorized in television, movies, soap operas, and novels is a modern phenomenon. Despite the subjective sensation of lovers that their love is timeless and boundless, it is nonetheless true that romantic love has a past and exists within a particular cultural context, Romantic love originated with chivalry during the medieval period, Romantic love triumphs in the modern period because industrial capitalism promoted individualism, free choice, and equality. Anthony Giddens (1992) credits romantic love with serving a purpose during the beginnings of capitalism. It gave isolated people in an urbanized environment some kind of meaning to their lives, and it also provided a legitimate means for society to reproduce itself. Unlike in traditional societies where people marry for family status, kinship alliance, and economic reasons, romantic love requires each partner to consent willingly to the relationship out of strong feeling of attraction and sexual desire. Hence, modern individuals frown upon marriages that are made out of money or any other exchange. As Gideon Sjorberg (1960) writes, “the romantic love ideology may be seen as appropriate, even necessary, in a society where the external pressures on permanent unions through kinship are largely absent.” One of the main tenets of romantic love is that “all is fair in love.” Romantic love is supposed to transcend economic inequalities and physical appearances. Yet, mate selection, courtship, and even marriage are not a market of pure and perfect competition, and individuals with the advantage of a status derived from belonging to their family of origin (where they have been brought up) and a procreation family (where they will bring Up their children) will endeavor to preserve or improve this advantage by marrying “well” OF giving “good” spouses to their own children—if they can (Boudon and Bourricaud 1986, 173). Some sociologists, for instance, argue that economic benefits and social exchange Operate in mate selection. People tend to select partners that can offer them equal assets Or even surpass their own resources. In this theory, a partner who contributes more to €conomic subsistence of the relationship tends to have more power in the relationship,ting with oth fort in int Jocial class affects one's ¢ able with others from our nd mate selection, That Among many factor we tend to feel more comto » social class. This " , people tend to marry homogamy as a rule inn the same characteristics they hé ity, class, lifestyle, family those who sha background, ete, (Knox and Schacht 2010, k About! Somethi Study the estimate of wedding, cost today (2016 as baseline with 150 With this kind of cost, will you still marry? How will you budget your expe! what item/s will you spend more or less? Why? milies Emerging Issues on Families and Domestic Violence Many people have very romanticized and idealized pictures and images of what a family is. How Much Do Such idealized images often overshadow the “dark” 7 side of family life. One of these dark truths about the in the Philippines? family is the increasing case of domestic violence. The book Domestic Violence: A Global View (2002) that covers the global dimensions and experiences of domestic violence offers a comprehensive definition: , Family violence encompasses not only violence between female and male partners or same-sex partners butalso child abuse and elder abuse. Domestic violence, more specifically, (+ refers to the abuse by one person of another in| an intimate relationship. These relationships ‘ e can involve marriage partners, partners living yy, A together, dating relationships (Berry 1998), ~ and even former spouses, former partners, and | former boyfriends/girlfriends (Chalk and King 1998). The abuse may take the form of physical violence, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and even stalking (Summers and Hoffman 2002, p. xii). i In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 9262 or An Act Defining Violence Against Women and Their 101 \1 © Children, Providing for Protective Measures for 6 Victims, Prescribing Penalties Therefore, and forViolence agai : iolence against women and their children “refers to any act or 2 5€" acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, 0 against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or with whom he has a common child, or against her child whether legitimate or illegitimate, within or without the family abode, which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or ecoriomic abuse includin threats of such acts, battery, assault, coercion, harassment or arbitrary deprivati of liberty. According to the monitoring of the Department of Local and Interior Governer National Barangay Operations Office, 37,180 or 88.45% of 42,036 villages nationv have established a violence against women (VAW) desk as of January 2017, but appear to be non-functional [Cecile Suerte Felipe, Pinays urged to report Violence Azé: Women, http://www. philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/06/1672257/pinays-urgec violence-against-women, accessed October 21, 2017]. The World Health Organization (WHO) meanwhile reported that © prevalence figures indicate that 35% of women or more than one in three women wide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual viole in their lifetime. On average, 30% of women who have been in a relati ship ré that they have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their 2 Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate (Violence Against Women, http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/ publications/ violence/9789241564625/en/ retrieved November 25, 2015). Domestic violence is not new. It has been acommon occurrence throughout recorded history. But, due to movements and recognition of human rights, many women now reporting about their experiences. The WHO (2013) points out that “there is grov recognition that violence against women has a large public health impact, in addition to being a gross violation of women's human rights” (4). But the prevalence of domestic violence is heavily dependent on culture and religious tradition of each society. Many mestic violence as a personal and private matter. Battered religions and states viewed do women would be forced to return home to their abusing partners. n their zeal to preserve the family, domestic violence was overlooked and even considered “normal.” Today, however, the United Nations WHO recognizes thenegativeimpact of domestic Violence against women. According to WHO (2013), women who have experienced partner violence have increased risk of health problems and risk behaviors; compared to ed partner violence. They have 16% greater odds of hav Women who have not experienc a low-birth weight baby, and more than twice as likely to have an induced abortion, and are more than twice as likely to women and children is pervasive glot and children’s ill health. a experience depression (31). Domestic violence against ally and it is a major contributing factor to women3 Divorce and Remarriage Divorce is a court order saying that a man and woman are no longer husband and wife. Annulment is a judicial statement that there never was a marriage between the man and the woman. It is the cancellation of marriage as if it never happened. This cancellation is done by the court invalidating the marriage from the date of its formation (retroactive application). Grounds for annulment may include the following: absence of Parental consent during the marriage, mental illness, fraud, lack of consent, and certain © the classical Hanafi School of Islamic Jurisprudence, the husband's s only possible reason for getting a divorce. diseases. Accordi impotence is a wife’ The Vatican City and the Philippines are the only countries in the world where divorce is not legal. However, the practice of divorce has a long history in the Philippines (Fisher 1926; Fernandez 1976). During the Spanish period, divorce was prohibited and only legal Separation was allowed. Divorce was again permitted during the American period (1292 1943, 1945-1946) through Act No. 2710, but the grounds were limited to adultery by the wife and concubinage on the part of the husband. Today, under The Family Code of the Philippines (Executive Order No. 209) that took effect on 3 August 1988, divorce is not allowed except for Muslims and Filipinos married £0 foreigners. It also allows for other remedies: legal separation, annulment of marriage, and declaration of nullity of marriage (Abalos 2017, 50). Number of Annulment and Nullity of Marriage Petitions Filed 11,900 - | 10.900 fp 9,000 Source: Santos, Ana P. In Numbers: The State of Marital Woes in the Philippines. Retrieved October 21, 2017Legal Separation is a decree that gives the husband and wife the right to live separatel from each other, but not allowed by the | en cet ee law to remarry. The 2014 survey of SWS reported that 3 out of 5 Filipinos 2 ” “ s, or 60%, want divorce to be legalized for “irreconcilably separated” couples (Hegina 201%). A review of the determinants of divorce lists the following problems as major factors that lead to the dissolution of marriage: “alcoholism and drug abuse, infidelity, incompatibility, physical and emotional abuse, disagreements about gender roles, sexual incompatibility, and financial problems” (White 1990, 908). Underlying these behaviors appears to be the general problem of communication. In their study of divorce, Gay Kitson and Morgan (1990) report lack of communication or understanding to be the most common reason given by couples concerning why their marriage did not work out. Many people think that unhappy marriages end in divorce, but this is not always the case. Many factors prevent couples from dissolving their marriages even under the conditions of extreme dissatisfaction. Some factors that act as barriers to marital dissolution are strong religious beliefs, pressure from family or friends to remain together, irretrievable investments, and the lack of perceived attractive alternatives to the marriage (Johnson et al. 1999). New Intimacies: Families in the Age of Post-modernity According to Giddens (1992), in the self-reflexive and self-actualizing world of today, which he calls “reflexive modernity"—a social condition when people are aware and knowledgeable about the risks they face—people no longer require the “forever” clause in romantic love relationship. Romance has lost its purpose and is bound to die out. It will be replaced, he argues, by a new, pragmatic, non-transcendental form of relationship that looks very much like the frank erotic desire so carefully controlled by traditional societies, but without the intensity or danger. In other words, romantic love today has been transformed into fleeting relationships that avoid the risks of long-term commitment. Love in the postmodern world also produces postmodern families and similar jes are families that are very different from traditional relationships. Postmodern fai ee ; and modern families and marriages. Postmodern families include same-sex marriages, single mothers, a lone individual with adopted child, various forms of polygamous relationships, and open marriages.wae Lesbian speed dating at a local book shop in New York They reflect the wider changes in contemporary societies especially in the West. Postmodernism is often defined as a social condition that accompanies globalization. It is made possible by the acceleration in the modes of communication and the rapid movement of people, money, and capital across national borders. Postmodern families reflect the disorientation in intimate relationships in the globalized world. ‘As more and more people are exposed to various forms of cultures and lifestyles through mass media, they tend to try out new forms of relationships. The rapid advance- ment of information and communication technologies (ICT), which is both reflective and constitutive of the transformative effects of the mobile era, also gives rise to new or reconfigured forms of interpersonal interactions including finding intimate partners. Zygmunt Bauman (2011), acontemporary Polish sociologist, prefers the term "liquid love” to characterize this condition. “Liquid love" corresponds to “liquid modern” conditions in which everything becomes fleeting, transient, and disposable. A perfect example of “liquid love” is the intimate relationships generated through online dating websites. Online dating websites usually provide users with opportunities to present their profiles, review the profiles of others, send expressions of interest to other users, and facilitate synchronous (for example, instant messaging) and asynchronous {for example, e-mail) communication between users. Like online dating, “speed dating” is a formalized matchmaking process or dating system that encourages people to meet a large number of other people, Bauman argues that online dating perfectly fulfils the rational choice conditions of the era of liquid love as it avoids the awkward negotiation of mutual i i is i " commitments, allowing for risk avoidance and instantaneous termination of contact, without emotional loss or regret (Bauman 2011, 65).\\ Postmodern families | something to Think About! Read the following description of polyamory. What do you think of such love and relationship? Polyamory as Post-modern Love Polyamory is an invented word for a different kind of relationship. “Poly” comes from Greek and means “many.” “Amory” comes from Latin and means “love.” Mixing Greek and Latin roots in one word is against the traditional rules, but then so is loving more than one person at a time when it comes to romantic or erotic love. The word “polyamory” was created in the late 1980s by Morning Glory and Oberon Zell. This couple, who have been married since 1974, continue to enjoy a deeply bonded open relationship that has morphed in many directions over the years, including a live-in triad lasting 10 years and a six-person group marriage that recently dissolved after ten years. The Zells did not invent the lifestyle, which has come to be known as polyamory, nor did |, though we are among a handful of pioneers who have mapped this new territory and thought deeply about its implications over the past thirty some years. I use the word “polyamory” to describe the whole range of love styles that arise from an understanding that love cannot be forced to flow or be prevented from flowing in any particular direction. Love, which is allowed to expand, often grows to include a number of people. But tome, polyamory has more to do with an internal attitude of letting love evolve without expectations or demands that it looks a particular way than it does with the number of partners involved. Source: Anapol, Deborah. 2010. Polyamory in the 21st century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners, 1-2. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc,The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Families There are four dominant ways that individuals in same-sex partner households come to parent children: through a prior relationship with a different-sex partner that resulted in the birth of a child/children, through adoption, through the use of technologies, or by becoming a partner to someone who h: ed reproductive done one or more of these things. The outcomes for children raised by same-sex parents versus those of children raised by different-sex parents have garnered significant political and media attention Just like defining the family, studying the impact of same-sex parenting on children is also controversial and morally loaded. Scholarship on the outcomes for children raised in same-sex parent households primarily considers lesbian-headed farnilies. Most analyses show that years spent being raised by same-sex parents create no significant disadvantage for children (Mallon 2012; Pertman and Howard 2012). Numerous authors have highlighted the similarities between children of lesbian parents and children who grew up with heterosexual parents (Ryan-Flood 2009, 5). One review of literature on lesbian parents says that the research on adolescent and young adult offspring of lesbian mothers suggests that they are developing in positive ways. It concludes, “Whether they lived with same-sex or opposite-sex couples, adolescents whose parents reported having close relationships with them were likely to report higher self-esteem, fewer depressi symptoms, less use of alcohol and tobacco, and less delinquent behavior.” In short, sex of parents does not matter a lot as the effects of the care that parents provide (Hull 2006, 108). Something to Think About! On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage, usu wesbian and gay refer to men and women who identify themselves as attracted, comet, exclusively, to members of the same sex/gender. As an adjective, “gay” may mes refer to both gays and lesbians. LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) includes.. t 7 individual: 5 individuals who identify themselves as attracted to both sexes/genders. LGBT ts (lesbian, E Y, Beexual and transgender) includes individuats who have or are in the process o' ANgiNg sexes or gender identities (Moore and Stambolis-Ruhstorder nd.). Do you consider gay couples livin, ° 1g together with an adopted child as a family? Do you think that people now are receptive to homosexual couples? Why? Transnational Families: Virtual Connections In the Philippines, fathers traditionally pursue their careers and act as the breadwinners of the family. Fathers are called “haliging tahanan.” Haligi or “pillar” refers to the foundations of the house. The father is seen as the pillar and foundation of the family. Fathers as breadwinners only applied to a period of society when women were offered fewer opportunities to work outside the family. Today, however, many women are already working outside their homes. With the advent of Western intrusion into our cultural life, poverty, and the rising opportunities to be educated, more andmorewomen, including mothers, are now entering the labor force. As a result, many mothers are now working full-time. Filipino women are not only working in domestic enterprises but they are also migrating to work overseas. According to Migration and Filipino Children Left Behind: A Literature Review, a working paper sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Philippines is the major supplier of labor migrants in Asia to over 100 countries. Overseas Filipino workers around the world sent $26.92 billion (P1.20 trillion) back to the Philippines in 2014, up to 6.2% from $25.35 billion (P1.13 trillion) in 2013, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration noted 1.6 million Filipinos were deployed abroad in 2014 (INFOGRAPHIC: Where $26.92B” 2015) While the economic benefits of overseas migration is beneficial to the families and country, nevertheless, it also entails a lot of sacrifices. A study by Battistela and Conaco (1998) on the effects of labor migration on selected elementary students revealed that children experienced loneliness and sadness when separated from their parents, although they understood the reasons for the migration. The school performance of children also suffered as a result. The study found out that “mother-absent children tend to be angrier, more confused, more apathetic, more afraid, and feel more different from other children On the other hand, children with both parents away show greater sadness” (235). With regard to the parent who is absent, the study showed that “when the mother is at home, there is emphasis on religious duties and praying regularly; when the father is at home, the stress is on being friendly and helping around the house; and when both parents are away, the emphasis is on studying diligently.” One of the most significant findings of the study is that the absence of the mother has the most disruptive effects on children, However, the presence of relatives can mitigate these negative effects.The remittances of migrant parents and family members are often used for education and purchase of agricultural lands and real estate. A review of literature concludes that “remittances do help improve the quality of life of the migrants and their families. A huge percentage of the remittances go to tuition fees of children, thus, children of migrants have better educational opportunities where they can enroll in private schools offering good quality education.” However, these remittances do not necessarily take the families out of poverty. They only mitigate the economic problems of the families left behind (Reyes 2008). In African context, the primary problem is how to keep the marriage and family intact (Melde 2012). The migrant family members are also confronted with dealing with racial discrimination and cultural adaptation. People migrate because they try to protect themselves and their families from the effects of a weak economy and volatile market, and from political crises, armed conflicts, and other risks (Koser 2007, 30). Filipinos migrate primarily for economic reasons. The increasing number of parents migrating to work abroad is creating transnational. families or diasporic families (diaspora: the dispersion of any people from their original homeland). The roots of what became an emigration tradition were established shortly after the conclusion of the Filipino-American War (1899-1902). The economic upheaval from that conflict in conjunction with the increasing demand for labor on Hawaiian sugar plantations led to the 1906 migration of 15 Filipinos from northwest Luzon’s Ilocos region. This was followed later by hundreds of laborers. Later, the labor shortages in the West and oil-producing countries in the 1950s called for “guest workers” that attracted a lot of Filipino workers. Then, during the 1970s, President Marcos called them balikbayan. Later, the balikbayans became OFWs (Wiley 2012). Further, Marcos institutionalized a policy to encourage emigration to stimulate the economy. While these policies were aimed to be of temporary nature, labor migration has been steadily increasing since then. In 2012, the Commission on Overseas Filipinos estimated that approximately 10.5 million Filipinos worked or resided abroad. This is about 11% of the population figure of 94.01 estimated by the NSO. Every year, it is estimated that more than a million Filipinos leave to work abroad, or around 4,500 Filipinos every day Results from the 2012 Survey on Overseas Filipinos conducted by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that in April to September 2012, there were about 2.2 million OFWs in the country, 95.0% of which are overseas contract workers or those with existing contracts abroad. More than half (51.7%) of these OFWs are males and that one in every three OFWs was a laborer or an unskilled worker. Top destination of OFWsis Asia, 20.6% of which were located in Saudi Arabia. In 2012, total OFW remittances reached about 165.6 billion (“Govt conducts survey” 2013). Consequently, these OFWs created what scholars on family studies call "transnational families.” According to Brycesson and Vourella (2002):Transnational families, or what are sometimes referred to multi-sited families, or families of recent globalizing trends 5 multi-local or living in spatial separation, are certainly not creations but have played an integral part in European colonial and settler histories However, it is only with the cre society” and transnational res trade that they ways of life (7). ation of the “informational tructurings of capitalist production and international are increasingly becoming, a pronounced part of everyday European This observation of Brycesson and Vourella also applies to Filipino transnational families. They define transnational families as “families that live some or most of the time separated from each other, yet hold together and create something that can be as a feeling of collective welfare and unity, namely, "familyhood, borders.” een Nn across national Reports by nongovernmental organizations and international organizations such as “Save the Children” and UNICEF indicate that approximately 25% of children in selected migrant-sending countries have at least one parent abroad. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) at anytime during the period of April to September 2016 was estimated at 2.2 million. There were more females than males among the OFWs, with the fernale OFWs comprising 53.6% of the total OFWs. Female OFWs were generally younger than male OFWs [Total number of OFWs: estimated 22 million (PSA 2016)]. These figures represent a large fraction of the transnational families that exist in the Philippine society. While transnational families may bring negative impact and severe strains on the traditional structure of families, nevertheless, scholars are also arguing that new communication technologies are mitigating these problems. Social technologies may be influencing and mainstreaming the transnational experiences while families are finding resilient ways to confront the difficulties posed by immigration. Computer-mediated communications among transnational families are a source of compelling opportunities to keep relationships intact (Bacigalupe and Camara 2012). The survey, “Families and Technology 2011,” conducted via MSN Microsoft in seven countries across Asia including the Philippines, showed that a large number of Filipinos overseas has made the Philippines one of the most tech-savvy countries in Asia, with a significant part of the population using different technology tools to keep in touch with family members abroad. According to the survey, Filipino families have an average of 10 adgets, the highest in the region, which they use to communicate with their loved ones in other parts of the country and the world (Ho 2011) Of course, the availability of new communication technologies and social media may facilitate the coping strategies of transnational families, but they should never be seen as @ panacea or complete solution to cultivating intimate relationships in the globalizing world.Something to Think About! Read the following excerpt from a column of Randolf David (2014), a Filipino sociologist on labor migration. How do economic managers look at labor migration and how is it different from the way OFW families look at it? One can hardly fault the country's financial managers for looking at the OFW phenomenon solely in terms of remittances. That is what their function directs them to do. But, the deployment of large numbers of Filipino workers for ‘overseas employment produces various other effects to which the BSP would be systematically blind. How families and communities cope with the departure of huge numbers of individuals is certainly worth knowing. How young children adjust to the reality of absentee parents, or what spouses do to keep marital bonds strong despite prolonged separation, are long-term effects that no nation that has been sucked in a big way into the global diaspora can possibly ignore. But such are not the concerns of economic managers. (Source: Randolf David, Overseas Employment Employmentolf David, Overseas Employment Employmes Effects, Public Lives, http://opinion.inquir8-215995/Overseas-employment-and-its-effects (retrieved September 4, 2014)) The Family and Financial Literacy in a Crisis-Ridden Globalized World As discussed earlier, the family and marriage are established not only out of love. They have economic basis. Emma Goldman (1914), an anarchist feminist once said, "Marriage and love have nothing in common; they are as far apart as the poles; are, in fact, antagonistic to each other.” She based her argument on the fact that, “Marriage is primarily an economic arrangement, an insurance pact. It differs from the ordinary life insurance agreement only in that it is more binding, more exacting”. Goldman is arguing that people marry for economic reasons, more than romantic attraction. While one may disagree with such argument, it is undeniable that economic consideration underpins mate selection and family formation. The family is locus for socializing young members of society about economic realities of society. It is in the family where young people begin to understand the value of things and money. It is in the family that young people are primarily exposed to management of financial resources. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2005), “Financial education is the process by which financial consumers/ investors improve their understanding of financial products and concepts and, through information, instruction and/or objective advice, develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities, to make informed choices, t°y gnow where to go for help, and to take other effective actions to improve their financial well-being (13)- Thus, it is essential for the average family to teach children about financial fiteracy in trying to decide how to balance its bud, education, and ensure an income when the pt, buy a home, fund the children’s par ancial literacy allows s retire, Fi them to make educated and informed decisions, not only in the present but also for the future. Financial literacy for Filipino families is made pressing by the fact that there are now 2.2 million OFWs. Surprisingly, the central bank's first quarter 2013 consumer expectations poll show that less than half (42.5%) of OFW households in the country are allocating the remittances they receive to savings, while only 5.8% of OFWs invest on stocks and business. These worrisome figures worsened even further in the second quarter to 39.4% and 3.8%, respectively. According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, “financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills among our OFWs is clearly lacking. This is particularly true among unskilled workers and laborers who comprise the largest fraction of overseas workers and also account for the largest share of aggregate remittances” [Commission on Filipinos Overseas: OFWs Saving Up for the Future, http://www.cfo.gov.ph/news/ from-overseas-filipinos/594-ofws-saving-up-for-the-future.html, accessed October 21, 2017). It is quite sad and disappointing that many OFWs remain poor and without stable income when they return home, The government should have a role in assisting our OFWs who made sacrifices for their family while helping our economy through remittances. But they should also be able to help themselves through financial literacy so they can cope better, not only as individuals, but also as families, in a crisis-ridden globalized world. But financial literacy is not just for families of OFWs, it is also an imperative for all Filipino families especially those who belong to lower socioeconomic strata of our society. In a globalized age, when responsibilities of the government are transferred from public welfare institutions to individual citizens, being informed about managing resources and knowing how the economy works can provide citizens and individuals the necessary skills and knowledge how to cope with unpredictable economic fluctuations and unexpected financial crisis. Financial literacy is not just about financial knowledge but translating this knowledge into financial capability of managing resources. Some studies show that individuals possessing greater numeracy and financial literacy are more likely to participate in financial markets and are more likely to plan for retirement and accumulate more wealth (Harrison 2016, 2).