CHANGING ROLES OF FILIPINO FAMILY

Introduction:The family is a solid unit whose interests are primary to that of the individuals composing it. Within the neighborhood, it is the entire family, not its individual members, which decides on the resolution of important matters; thus it is the honor of the family which is at stake when an individual member of the unit commits a mistake and not of the person himself.

The super ordination of the family over individual interests has a far-reaching significance. Emphasis on family loyalty and support prevails which in turn underlines the concept of family solidarity. It is the family which provides the average Filipino with a stable unit for socialization and a reservoir of emotional security and support. Introduction:

It is in the family that she acquires her first orientation to group life, learns and internalizes the values of Filipino culture and finds guidance throughout her life.

Introduction:

History of the word Family

The word familyfirst referred to the servants of a household and then to both the servants and the descendants of a common ancestor. It comes from the Latin word familia, meaning 'household; household servants', which came from another Latin term famulus, or 'servant'. It was not until 1667that the term was used specifically for the group of people consisting of parents and their children.

What is Family?A fundamental social group in society typicallyconsisting of one or two parents and their children.Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.All the members of a household under one roof.A basic unit of the social structure and it is almost universal in its occurrence.

:The Family have certain characteristics:

As a social group, it is universal. It is a significant element in mans social life. Nowadays, changes in the family (e.g. from traditional structure to non-traditional structure ) are happening brought about by the changing economic climate & technological advancements but it has remained a basic institution in the society.

It is the first social group to which an individual is exposed. Family relationships last a long time & an individuals earliest & longest experience in living takes place in a family setting.

The family affects the individuals social values, disposition, & outlook in life. The family is the source of the individuals ideals, aspirations, & basic motivations.

The family is said to be the link between an individual & the larger society. In this way we can say that a persons interaction &/or attitude inside the family unit affects or is a determinant in how that person interacts in the community that his family belongs.

Logically, from the assertion above, the family is understood to provide continuity of social life. It is a major agent in the transmission of culture which also affects &/or reflects the culture of the society.

What is a Filipino Family?The Filipino family in general is still monogamous.

The Filipino family plays a unique role for the child as it gives him affection, care, attention, protection, and engenders in him a sense of belongingness and security.

The Filipino family is an institute of security which protects its members from exigencies of living.

The Filipino family founded on love and affection, sanctified by the virtue of Christian marriage is cohesive in nature.

In general, in the home of Filipino family, there is a love, cooperation, respect, justice, democracy and above all there is God whom they respect and believed as the greatest source of human consolation.

Traditional Filipino Family AndExtended Filipino Family

What is a Traditional Family?

The Husband and Father leader or head of the family and his authority is respected.

The Wife and Mother is the heart. She holds the family together.

The Children acknowledge and respect the authority of the home.

The father is considered the head and the provider of the family while the mother takes responsibility of the domestic needs and in-charge of the emotional growth and values formation of the children. They both perform different tasks and being remarked separately by the children. Children see their mothers soft and calm, while they regard their fathers as strong and the most eminent figure in the family. Role of the Parents (Tradition)

Parent-child Relationship Children in a traditional Filipino family are trained not to answer back when parents are reprimanding them.

Family Faith and Religion Traditionally, the religion of the Filipino parents becomes the religion of the children. No one is supposed to change faith as a respect to the parents.

Traditional Filipino Family1. Strong respect for elders. Children are taught from birth how to say po and opo to teach them as early as possible how to properly respect their elders. These words are used to show respect to people of older level. 2. Keep close connection with other relatives.

According to Paz Policarpio Mendez and F. Landa Jocano (1974), the traditional Filipino family were: acknowledges the importance of both consanguineal (blood) and affinal (marriage) ties. ritual kinship in terms of godparents is recognized as being special because it is embedded in the Filipino community Filipino Family

Traditional Filipino Family Consanguineal or biological ties remain as the most important relationsConsanguineal family - consists of a parent and his or her children, and other people. This family is also called extended family which does not only covers up to your grandparents but may go the network ofrelatives that extends beyond the domestic conjugal family.

Consanguineal Family / Extended Family

Some rural Filipinos, when choosing friends and possible spouses, carefully examined genealogies to assess virtues and shortcomings because they believed that a person's hereditary character shows.

Traditional Filipino FamilyBelen Medina found that: Blood bonds are so important, that a person can be judged on the basis of who her or his relatives are. It follows that parents and children share an exceptionally strong and intimate bond. They give each other much mutual affection and respect. Children are taught by their parents to be gentle and deferential to elders, and this is carried on after they get married.

Traditional Filipino FamilyGelia Castillo and Juanito Pua (1963, p. 116) classify the Filipino family as residentially nuclear but functionally extended." This means that the household tends to be nuclear in form, but the family is extended in so far as relationships among members of the wider kin group are concerned.

Filipinos and the Value Placed in the Family

Filipinos are generally family oriented. Because of this many actions, plans & goals in life of an individual are either affected or is centered upon the family. According to Timbreza (2003), family success is the measure of a successful life for the Filipinos. He lists some sayings of Filipino tribes that has something to do with how they view the Family.

Boholanos: Ang familia nga nagatanum ug kaayohan nag-ani ug kapalaran; ang nagatanum ug kadautan, nag-ani og lonlon kasakitan (The family that sows goodness reaps fortune; the one that sows evil reaps suffering)

Analysis: Here we can see the concept of karma among Filipinos. It is different from Buddhism, it has something to do however with reversion that whatever a person does or does not do in the family, it will have either a positive or negative consequence in the future to him/her or his/her family.

Bicolanos: An harong man palasyo kun an laog kuwago, marhay pa ang payag na laog tao (A house may be a palace, but if the owner is an owl, better is a hut where the owner is a human being)

Tagalogs: Mabuti pa ang kubo na ang nakatira ay tao, kaysa isang bahay na bato na ang nakatira ay kuwago (A hut where a person lives is better than a house of stone where an owl resides.)

Analysis: These sayings are somewhat the same as both reflect the value place upon the persons in the family rather than the economic influences as symbolize by the house of stone or the palace.

Ilocanos: Ti timpuyog ti pamilia isut mangted ti kired ken pigsa (Family harmony provides fortitude & strength). Uray awan ti kukuam, no la ket nauros ti pamiliam (Even though you dont have property as long as you have a harmonious family).

Analysis: Here we can see how happiness in the family takes precedence above all among the Filipinos. This can be evident in todays televised drama/shows as either centered upon the family or has something great to do with the family & family dynamics.

Modern Filipino Family

According to Medina (2001) : The definition of Filipino family is evolving as structures continue to change. One of the current definitions which encompass all types of families is:

two or more persons who share resourcesshare responsibility for decisionsshare values & goals, andhave a commitment to each other over time.

The function attributed to families are: economic consumption socialization of the young, and affective dimensions (Davidso and Moore, 1992 as cited by Medina, 2001)

Family Structures of TodayBecause of the economic situation & technological advancement, interaction in the family is changing. There is a trend to nuclearization as families are being drawn to urbanized areas to work. Parents who go abroad to find greener pastures so to speak leave behind their children to other relatives thus shifting the authority to them which also affects how the child interacts to the society.

The decision maker which is traditionally held by the eldest male in the family is slowly fading as there is tendency for the breadwinner (most likely the working member or highest earner in the family) to assume this role though respect is still accorded to the eldest still. Female headship has become an urban phenomenon because it is in the urban center where employment opportunities for women are more available (Medina, 2001). Urbanization not only changed family dynamics but also weakened family ties & also the ties between the individual & the larger kin group.

Family Structures of TodayResidence is said to determine the quality & quantity of interaction with relatives for it has something to do with who is to live with whom which would logically affect the pattern of socialization among relatives &/or family members. For example, a child who grows with his uncle because his parents are both working abroad will be more likely emotionally attached to his uncle than with his parents. Taken from http://anthro.palomar.edu/marriage/marriage_5.htm here are the basic residence rules consistent with Medina (2001):

One-parent family consist either :

A matrilocal family - denoting a custom in marriage whereby the husband goes to live with the wife's community.

occurs when a newly married couple establishes their home near or in the bride's mother's house. This keeps women near their female relatives. Not surprisingly, this residence pattern is associated with matrilineal descent (that is, when descent is measured only from females to their offspring, as in the case of the green people below). Men leave their natal households when they marry. About 13% of the world's societies have matrilocal residence

A patrilocal family - relating to a pattern of marriage in which the couple settles in the husband's home or community. occurs when a newly married couple establishes their home near or in the groom's father's house. This makes sense in a society that follows patrilineal descent (that is, when descent is measured only from males to their offspring, as in the case of the red people in the diagram below). This is because it allows the groom to remain near his male relatives. Women do not remain in their natal household after marriage with this residence pattern. About 69% of the world's societies follow patrilocal residence, making it the most common.

Avunculocal family - occurs when a newly married couple establishes their home near or in the groom's maternal uncle's house. This is associated with matrilineal descent. It occurs when men obtain statuses, jobs, or prerogatives from their nearest elder matrilineal male relative. Having a woman's son live near her brother allows the older man to more easily teach his nephew what he needs to know in order to assume his matrilineally inherited role. About 4% of the world's societies have avunculocal residence.

Ambilocal family - occurs when a newly married couple has the choice of living with or near the groom's or the bride's family. The couple may also live for a while with one set of parents and then move to live with the other. About 9% of the world's societies have ambilocal residence.

Neolocal family - occurs when a newly married couple establishes their home independent of both sets of relatives. While only about 5% of the world's societies follow this pattern, it is popular and common in urban North America today largely because it suits the cultural emphasis on independence. However, economic hardship at times makes neolocal residence a difficult goal to achieve, especially for young newlyweds. Elsewhere, neolocal residence is found in societies in which kinship is minimized or economic considerations require moving residence periodically. Employment in large corporations or the military often calls for frequent relocations, making it nearly impossible for extended families to remain together.

A step family or blended family - describes families with mixed parents: one or both parents remarried, bringing children of the former familyinto the new family. This type of family is an emerging trend now due to annulment, separation or a death of a spouse.

A same-sex couple family consist of a couple of the same gender and may have adopted children.

Live-in partners family consist of couple without getting married and have children.

A family of bond or purpose - consist of a group in which they may have strong relations, or share same ideologies in which they would consider themselves a family.

Solo parents are also proliferating nowadays. The types are:

1. Widow or widower & his/her offspring2. Single man/woman with adopted child/children3. Separated parent & his/her children4. Unwed woman & her child/children5. Mistress & her child/children by a married man

Primary importance here is placed on the issues of commitment & affection.

Residence is not a criterion as there are also people who lives under one roof but are not necessarily considered a family (referred to as households). It defines above as a group of persons living under one roof & sharing the same kitchen & housekeeping arrangements. The residents of a boarding house, a fraternity/sorority house, or a dormitory constitute a household but not a family.

According to Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/authority), authority has something to do with the power to determine to command. Applied in the family, there are 3 types of authority patterns:PatriarchalThe oldest male, usually the father has control over the other members.MatriarchalThe mother has the authority. This however, usually goes with matrilocal residence or matrilineal descent.EqualitarianThis is where most Filipino families are classified. Although the husband is generally referred to as the head, the wife is in charge with the money & the organization in the house & its affairs.Pattern of Authority

RealizationHere we can see a connection between the system of residence & authority. The more someone is associated with another (because of location) the more the older person (here pertains in the family dynamics) will have authority on the younger one. Also, the equality of male & female when it comes in the family is exemplified by the nature of most Filipino family when it comes to authority (which is equalitarian in nature). Family terminologies that Medina (2001) saw as significant indicator of the equal

treatment of males & females (neutral) among Filipino families are: asawa (spouse), kapatid (brother or sister/sibling), anak (son or daugther), apo (grandchild), bata (child), magulang (parent), pamangkin (nephew or niece), pinsan (cousin), manugang (child-in-law), & biyenan (parent-in-law). It is then by putting na lalaki (male) or na babae (female) after these terms will gender be designated.

The topic of responsibility is thus an important area of the family to be discussed as it is a logical consequence of authority. According to Timbreza (2003), parental responsibility means pananagutang pangmagulang from pananagutan (responsibility or basically means answer) & magulang (parent) thus we can see that Filipino parents are answerable or responsible for the upbringing of their children to the extent that failure of a child in life means failure in the parents in upbringing. The issue of discipline is thus important here with regards to authority. Here are some philosophical views among them:

Tagalogs: Ang kahoy na likot baluktot, hutukin mo hanggang malambot, kung malaki nat tumayog, mahirap na ang paghutok (A curved & crooked tree should be straightened while its still soft; once it grows big & tall, it will be difficult to stretch it).Ang gawa sa pagkabata, dala hanggang sa pagtanda (Ones ways during childhood are borne until old age).

Analysis: We can see that Filipinos already have a good grasp as to when is it a good time to discipline a child. When the child is small he/she should be moulded already for as he/she ages so will also his/her character becomes cemented hence the difficult formation later.

Illonggos: Ang guinicanan amo ang sentro sang responsibilidad (Parents are the focal point of responsibility).Boholanos: Unsa ang mga guinicanan ma-o opod ang ilang caliwat (Whoever the parents are, so are the children).Ilocanos: Dagiti annak tis arming dagiti nagannak (Children are the frelection of the parents).

Analysis: This is an echoing of what have been stated earlier about the extent of parents responsibility in the formation of their children. Furthermore, there is conveying of the attitudes of children as a reflection of their parents. Children will do what their parents do. This is not only true with Filipinos or some nationalities but is supported by research as with the Theory of Albert Bandura3 namely the Social Learning Theory. According to this theory, behaviour is said to be the result of interaction among an individual, the environment (physical or social) & the behaviour itself. Change is anyone of these 3 means change in all; this is called reciprocal determinism (Refer to picture next page).

To elaborate further, the individual, upon witnessing other people perform certain behaviours to achieve certain goals can either copy or not the behaviour. It is here that the question of self-efficacy surfaces. Adoption of a certain behaviour depends upon the personal evaluation of a person whether he thinks he can do it himself. Second, the environment which encompasses the physical & social spheres could affect the decision of the individual to adapt certain behaviour. If he sees that people around his house, or at school disapprove the behaviour it could be a determining factor not to adapt the behaviour he previously observed. Last but not the least, the information gathered upon the environment based on personal evaluation will then be levelled by the perceived or expected value of the outcome when the behaviour is thought to be adopted. If the individual finally sees & weighs the importance of the outcome as very important (has higher incentives) for himself then he is likely to adapt the behaviour previously observed.

RealizationThe attitude of the Filipino child therefore is justifiably seen as the sum of what he experiences/observes at home.

Kin Group SizeThe kinship system among Filipinos is an important concern & is somehow related to the natural tendencies of Filipinos toward extended family. This establishes the family in the society. To add, this system does not limit to the blood relatives including: kinship created by binyag (Baptism) & marriage (as with the compadrazgo system or commonly known as the comadre-compadre system). By this standard we can see that family size is thus very large among Filipinos.

Modern Filipino Family Social relationships become more impersonal and businesslike less religiously oriented

Today, in most urban centers of the Philippines two-income families are quite common, with both parents having full-time jobs. The mother still takes care of the household chores but with the help of the helper and a nanny who takes care of the baby at home.Role of the Parents

Parent-child Relationship

Filipino children today are learning to reason with their parents just like what they see on Western movies and television programs. Most Filipino parents still consider it disrespectful for their children to answer back or reason with them. As a result, it creates tension and conflicts in their relationships.

Family Faith and Religion American freedom of religion influenced the younger generation to choose what to believe and help the parents to be more open-minded when it comes to their children's choice of faith

ConclusionChange is constant & the basic unit of society- the family- is not immune to it. It is composed of human beings & human beings naturally adapt to the environment to survive. The environment is continually changing prompting people to change their interaction with it & one another also. To this, we are challenged as Filipinos to see if the changes we welcome in our homes are actually working to our advantages- do these promote better relationships & worthwhile companionship among family members & among families in the society? Everything has a consequence.

Although many forces outside the family are affecting it, it has still for the most part remained as it is among Filipinos- the most important area to be successful. Ties or solidarity with each other are very much seen during calamities & problems. Bayanihan (helping each other in the community like in the transferring of homes) although is slowly fading in general, we can still observe concern during times of illness or celebration during times of triumph among Filipino families.

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