Just what is the Filipino family facing today? Several studies have been made in the recent years that provide us clues about what we will be facing as parents of the next generation. A research made by G.T. Cruz, E.P. Laguna, and C.M. Raymundo of the the Population Institute, University of the Philippines reveal the family influences on the lifestyle of the Filipino youth. The backdrop of their study:
The Philippines like the rest of the world is experiencing pervasive socio-economic and cultural transitions brought about by globalization. Continuing modernization, increasing levels of urbanization and industrialization along with the worsening level of poverty in the face of a ballooning debt burden have drastically changed the face of the Filipino society. The impact of such trends cannot be more dramatic on its effect on the Filipino family.
Their study mentioned that the Filipino family has showed initial traces of stress, marked by substantial levels of absentee parenting and unstable marital unions. This is due to the employment options parents have taken as migrant workers. Adolescents and young alike are plunged into "new forms of living arrangements which have taken them away from their family environment----a condition that makes them vulnerable to risk behaviors," the study says. Another point the study made was the appeal of western media to the young. The increasing westernization of mass media threaten traditional values which are passed on by the family. The increasing appeal of media poses unchartered circumstances and implications to the young.
For several years now, McCann Erickson has studied the Filipino youth and the family. In 2000, the youth was introduced to a new social network available to then 24/7 through text messaging. This rendered traditional institutions of socialization like school, church, and the family powerless to influence and guide the young. Media remained the most powerful influence for moral standards and acceptability.
By 2006, The youth spent more money on technology-based products than consumer products. They have become "techie" and this time it is the internet connectivity like chatting and online gaming that drove them.
Today, they have access to high paying jobs with little career opportunities, that gave them instant gratification (contact-centers). They are going back to school to learn jobs that will get them overseas (nursing).
On the other hand, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral, in a country report delivered during the Second East Asian Ministerial Forum on Families held in Singapore from Nov. 6 said that the massive migration of workers overseas and a ballooning population are weakening the Filipino family.
“With children comprising 43% of its 85 million people, the country’s young population needs not just financial but also psychological support and guidance from their parents. The Philippines upholds the dignity of the family because we believe that investing in the Filipino family is investing in our country’s future.”
--Cabral
Most of these studies claim that parental guidance and strong family values show significant influence in neutralizing the effects of technology, media and the new social culture of the young. Particularly, strong, stable and intact family environment of the adolescents tend to diminish the impact of outside influences on the adolescent. Many families today look for how they can communicate and pass on values, keep family traditions, give guidance and direction to their children, even in their absence.
For many, the school and the church remain the institutions where their children are given guidance. However, these are the very institutions that are not seen as relevant or influential as the social networks they belong to. If we are to communicate with our chldren, build family traditions and values, it will have to start at home.