DIVERSITY AMONG FILIPINO FAMILIES
AND ITS EFFECTS ON CHILDREN
AND ITS EFFECTS ON CHILDREN
A Research Paper Presented to
Sir Dustin Celestino
Asia Pacific College
Magallanes, Makati City
In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Course
RESWRIT – Research Writing
Ranielyn Manuel
October 2012
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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
A family is the social basic unit of any society. A father, a mother and one or more children living in the same lodging is what construct a typical family. However, in the past decades, nuclear families have gone through major changes resulting in a more diverse family structure. This diversification and the appearance of new patterns of family and household formation bring in a real challenge in the Philippines present society.
The changing structures of the Filipino Families, such as single parent families, grandparent-led families, blended families, cohabiting families, homosexual families, etc., and a high chance that these families are experiencing different forms of family issues in their daily lives makes sharp focus the need to be discussed in a way that would not give severe adverse impacts to the children.
Children are experiencing much more diverse and fluid family arrangements than in the past decades. As childbearing outside of marriage has become more prevalent and divorce rates remain high, many children are spending at least a part of their lives with a parent or a step-parent. (Heather Joshi)
These changes in family arrangements resulted to a benefit of greater freedom to at least some adults, but how have they affected the children? (Heather Joshi) McLanahan explained that the pendulum of opinion on the effect of non-traditional family living in determining children’s welfare has been moving back and forth from pessimism to optimism over the past few decades.
“After a decade of research, a new consensus has emerged with regard to the effects of family structure on children: children who grow up with only one biological parent are less successful, on average, than children who grow up with both parents. These differences extend to a broad range of outcomes, and they persist into adulthood.”(McLanahan and Sandefur 1994; Haveman and Wolfe 1991, p. 37)It is believed that material, emotional, and social sources is more abundant and effective if both of the parents are working together compared to the other family arrangements. (McLanahan & Sandefur, 1994). Therefore, some people argue that the enterprise of child rearing is more likely to succeed if there are two adults rather than one (Popenoe, 1993). and and a less conventional child-rearing may be harmful to children. (Heather Joshi)
It is important to discuss the different non-traditional family structures and the evidence about their impact on child development. Although many forms of diversity in family structure occur, space does not permit to explore them all. In this research, nontraditional families such as one-parent families, unmarried heterosexual-parent families, families with lesbian and gay parents, and grandparent-led families will be discussed. With these, the readers will be able to understand the different needs of the families of today in order to develop family policies and services that will effectively support families in the upbringing of their children.
This research paper aims to enhance the understanding of the readers about how family structure relates to the development of Filipino children. It examines the results for children in different family types and in relation to factors internal and external to the family.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer this question:
1. What are the issues brought by the diversification of family structure and their effects on Filipino children?
C. Significance of the Study
This study aims to establish an understanding on the different family issues in the Philippines brought by the diversification of the structures of the families and its implications on children. Furthermore, the study could be of importance to the following:
To Families. This study will be useful in making families, traditional or non-traditional, to understand the diverse family living situations and how it affects the development of their children.
To the Readers. This study will make the readers to be aware of the different family structures that are prevalent in the Philippines. Through this research, they will be able to understand how the development of the children varies with the different kinds of family structures.
To the Future Researchers. The ideas presented may be used as reference data in conducting new researches or in testing the validity of other related findings. This study will also serve as their cross-reference that will give them a background or an overview of the study.
D. Scope and Delimitation
This study focuses on the different issues brought by the diversification of the structures of the families and its effects on children. This study will only discuss about the different structures of families that currently exist in the Philippines.
E. Materials and Methods
This research paper uses a descriptive method because the researcher’s aim is to describe and to discuss the diversification of families and its implications on children. The researcher will also use articles, publications and the like from the internet as guides in making this research. The researcher will also conduct a survey in order to support the outcome of this study.
F. Definition of Terms
Blended Families and Step Families. In these families, children who are not blood related may live in the same house.
Cohabiting Families. In this kind of family, a man and woman live together but are not married. If there are children, at least one of the adults is a biological or adoptive parent.
Commuter Families. In these families, the parents live and work in different places in which one parent is the one who provides the primary residence while the other parent comes home after work but only for a short period of time.
Crisis. It is a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point in one's family life.
Extended Family. A family which is usually define by some common genetic lineage that falls outside of the nuclear family. It consists of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
Family. A group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.
Foster and Group Home Families. Children may live with foster parents and institutional child care workers while problems with their biological parents or guardian are being resolved.
Grandparent-led Families. The grandparents are the one who take the lead responsibility of child care when their biological parents are working, have died or cannot take good care of them.
Nuclear Family. It is named from the idea of it being the 'nucleus' of other family groups which consists of a father, mother and their children. A family is defined by their blood relation and through marriage of the parents.
Single-Parent Family. In this family there is only one parent in the home.
Society. The organization of mutually dependent people who share the same territory and culture and who act as one for survival and well-being purposes.
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