Globalization, Families and Social Change Chapter 13 Globalization, Families and Social Change

Presentation outline The sociology of the family The transformation of intimacy Family practices Comparative family studies: the UK and Japan Technology, intimacy and globalization Globalization and new relationships The commodification of intimacy

Introduction To what extent are intimate and family relationships being transformed across the globe? To what extent is globalization affecting families and intimate relationships?

The sociology of the family Functionalist accounts of the family stressed the socializing and stabilizing role of the family (Parsons) Second wave feminists drew attention to the family as a site of patriarchal power and saw the heterosexual institution of marriage as central for the reproduction of gender inequalities

The transformation of intimacy Anthony Giddens (1992) Optimistic account of how individualization is affecting family relationships The ‘pure relationship’ demands high level of reflexivity & is based on trust, intimacy & egalitarianism rather than obligation & duty as previously The democratization of intimate relationships is creating a more profound equality between men & women

The transformation of intimacy (cont.) Lynn Jamieson Intimacy: Personal Relationships in Modern Societies (1998) Criticized Giddens for presenting intimate relationships as free floating from social structures basing his argument on insufficient empirical evidence Jamieson argues that we can have a sense of being equal and intimate despite inequalities

Family practices Morgan (1996: 186) - ‘family represents a quality rather than a thing’ This concept represents a move away from studying families based on households and blood ties and allows sociologists to focus on: what family means to people how they ‘do’ family in their everyday lives acknowledging the diversity of families

Comparative family studies Family structures across the globe fall along a continuum between traditional patriarchal structures and more democratic individualized structures (Roopnarine and Gielen, 2005) Goran Therborn (2004) identifies seven family systems across the globe (see table)

Families in the UK Despite declining rates of marriage and growing rates of long term cohabitation, the symbolic significance of marriage remains strong The way resources are allocated in a household mirrors the unequal power relationships between men and women (Vogler, 2005) A gap between a culture and conduct of involved fathering (Dermott, 2008)

Families in Japan Rapid social transformations in family life But Japanese families still appear more stable and cohesive than Euro-American ones In Japan, as in the UK, attitudes towards fathering are changing faster than actual practices Professional women’s postponement of marriage is an individual solution to structural problems of gender inequality (Nemoto, 2008)

Technology, intimacy and globalization Each new type of technology (e.g. email) adds a layer of interaction, increasing the frequency of communication between families (Wilding, 2006) Communication technology can facilitate increased closeness & intimacy, yet also become burdensome for transnational families (Horst, 2006) Technologies simultaneously provide solutions for maintaining relationships & reinforce inequalities within families

Globalization and new relationships The opportunity for forming new intimate/sexual relationships across borders Post-soviet women migrants’ relationships with Turkish men (Bloch, 2010) Relationships between sex tourists & workers in the Carribbean (Cabezas, 2004) Are these blurring the distinction between love, obligation & transaction or are they marked by inequality and oppression?

Commodification and intimacy Is intimacy becoming increasingly commodified? Commodification: how goods, services & even relationships become commodities, to be bought or sold in the marketplace Internet dating: romantic encounters become economic transactions (Illouz, 2007) Migrant nannies’ love to western children: ‘global heart transplant’ (Hochschild, 2003)

Review Globalization isn’t leading to weaker family ties Unequal gender relations is a dominant pattern within families across the globe Ethnographic research provides a more vivid picture of how social actors negotiate globalization in everyday life Increased significance of the market in shaping intimate relationships everywhere