It’s still all about the family, according to the UN
Designated by the United Nations, May 15 is International Day of Families. The day started in 1993 and this year’s theme is Families and Inclusive Societies. The family structure has changed a lot over the years and differs around the world, but the UN still considers the family the basic unit of society.
At the University of Guelph, three professors are researching families.
Dr. Sharada Srinivasan in the department of sociology and anthropology researches families in India. Dr. Tricia van Rhijn and Dr. Jess Haines are from the department of family relations and applied nutrition. Professor van Rhijn researches mature students, and Professor Haines researches family-based interventions to childhood obesity.
Professor Srinivasan’s findings show that Indian men are crossing the country from Haryana to Kerala to find brides. According to an article co-written by Srinivasan, “several men who may not have been seen as marriageable in the local context have made their way to Kerala with no expectation except that of getting a wife.” On the flip side, daughters of poor families in Kerala are marrying these men, but are often deceived and unaware of the full picture. In Srinivasan’s research, some of these marriages were found to be abusive. In addition, some women were financially cut off after the death of their husbands, even though they were entitled to that monetary support. Many factors such as the age of their future husbands and whether or not they suffered from problems such as alcoholism were also not disclosed in advance. But for many women, as Srinivasan discusses, after a certain age, it is better to be married than to be single as it reduces the financial burden on the family. Based on the individuals that she has spoken with, “marriage in India is still believed to be the only route to a good future for a woman.” The hope is that these young women will have someone to take care of them in the future.
Professor van Rhijn studies families in which one parent is pursuing post-secondary education. Her study has found that being able to balance the multiple roles of family life, school, and other responsibilities is a challenge. These competing priorities often make it difficult for individuals to perform all of their roles to the best of their ability, leading to feeling as though they are letting others down. Professor van Rhijn’s research makes suggestions on how the education system can help. Participants in her study noted that there was limited support from the school, so it was suggested that the school could inform mature students of the services available to them by means that are relevant and accessible. Additionally, it was suggested that the times that events and services are open be made flexible in order to accommodate mature students who may be unable to make the usual set times because of work and childcare responsibilities.
Professor Haines is creating a family-based obesity prevention intervention that is targeted towards parents of preschool aged children. A program like this is important in helping to combat obesity in the western world. This particular age group is essential to target because already 14 per cent of preschoolers in the US are currently overweight. Including parents is meaningful as well because of the large influence that they often have on their child’s life. The program created by Professor Haines consists of a group session that involves teaching parenting lessons, some of which include information about healthy nutrition and activity. It was found that parents that were involved in the program improved their restrictive feeding behaviours.
The family may be changing, with different norms and customs practiced all over the world, but it still continues to be an integral part of society.
The importance of taking care of your family is made clear by these three University of Guelph researchers.
Photo by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion