Chapter 5 © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 How Families Support Society and How Societies Support Families: A Global View

Chapter 5 Outline What Outcomes Matter to Policymakers? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Chapter 5 Outline What Outcomes Matter to Policymakers? How Important Are Families in Societies Around the World? What Contributions Do Families Make for the Benefit of Their Members and the Good of Society? What Family Policies Do Nations Put in Place to Support the Contributions that Families Make to Society?

What Outcomes Matter to Policymakers? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Outcomes Matter to Policymakers? Professionals are typically more interested in the private value of the functions that families provide for their members and how family members benefit from policies and programs they participate in. Policymakers, in contrast, are more interested in the public value of the functions that families perform for the larger society. When speaking to policymakers, it is more important to focus on the public benefits of families to society.

How Important Are Families to Societies Around the World? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 How Important Are Families to Societies Around the World? In Malta, the valuing of marriage and family is strong. In Vietnam, the state protects marriage and family. In Latin America, family remains one of the most valued social institutions. In Turkey, every individual is linked with some kind of family, making it an “alternativeless” institution. In the United States, the Standard North American Family (SNAF) is a normative ideal. Globally, families are highly valued as the building blocks of society that cut across differences in ideology and nation-states.

What Contributions Do Families Make to Society? © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Contributions Do Families Make to Society? Families are a fundamental foundation for generating productive workers. Families contribute to the raising of caring, committed citizens. Family policies and programs are an efficient investment of public resources to reach societal goals. Family policies and programs are an effective means of promoting positive child and youth development.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 What Family Policies Do Nations Put in Place to Support the Contributions that Families Make to Society?

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Families Are a Fundamental Foundation for Generating Productive Workers In the midst of a global economic transformation, every nation’s competitiveness depends more than ever on its human capital. Human capital in knowledge-based economies depends on cognitive (hard) and noncognitive (soft) skills. Researchers are able to predict the probability that a child will become a high school dropout 11 to 14 years later based on the quality of early care. Globally, quality child care programs are financed for many reasons: lowering poverty rates, filling labor shortages, supporting employed parents, and so forth. When public support for preschool education increased, children’s math and science achievement rose, with the largest advantages for the most disadvantaged.

Families Contribute to the Raising of Caring, Committed Citizens © Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Families Contribute to the Raising of Caring, Committed Citizens Secure attachment relationships predict many qualities that most societies value in their citizenry—involvement, leadership, self-confidence, social competence, self-reliance, empathy, etc. Parenting competence at age two in the first generation predicted parenting competence at age two in the second generation. Internationally, policies to support competent parenting included paid maternal, paternal, and family leave; parental education courses; home-visits; sick-child leave; and so forth. In a recent study of the world’s most highly competitive countries, providing paid family leave does not appear to interfere with a country’s global competitiveness.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Family Policies and Programs Are an Efficient Investment of Public Resources to Reach Societal Goals Government cannot afford to replace the functions families perform for the benefit of their members and the good of society. U.S. taxpayers receive a return of $10.50 to $25 in private parent contributions for every public dollar allocated to a child in a two-parent, middle-income family. In Canada in 2002, family caregivers saved the health system $5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.2 billion in U.S. currency). In an analysis of 13 advanced countries, investments in family policies did not interfere with a country’s employment prospects or economic competitiveness.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Family Policies and Programs Are an Effective Means of Promoting Positive Child and Youth Development In evaluations, programs that focus on family dynamics have proven to be nine times more effective than “youth-only” approaches. In Britain, implementing a number of evidence-based reforms reduced child poverty by half: setting a national minimum wage raising the universal child benefit providing universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds extending paid parental leave establishing a parent’s right to request part-time or flexible work hours without jeopardizing employment, etc.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Families are the most humane and economical way known for raising the next generation. Families financially support their members, and care for those who cannot always care for themselves—the elderly, frail, ill, and those with disabilities. Yet families can be harmed by stressful conditions—the inability to find a job, afford health insurance, secure quality child care, and send their kids to good schools. Supporting families is politically popular and typically more effective than focusing on individuals. Policymakers can use research evidence to invest in family policies and programs that work, and to cut those that don’t. Keeping the family foundation strong today pays off tomorrow. Families are the cornerstone for raising responsible children who become caring, committed contributors in a strong democracy, and competent workers in a sound economy.

© Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2014 Summary Government plays a smaller role in family policy in the United States than in other countries. The U.S. provisions for family leave are unpaid and shorter in duration. The U.S. system of child care requires payments by parents with some state and federal subsidies. The United States’ reliance on tax benefits and credits instead of direct cash transfers ends up treating higher- income families more generously than lower-income families. The United States spends more than other countries on education, especially at the university level.