THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY STUDIES

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY STUDIES Pakistan Council on Family Relations www.familyrelation.org

2. Learning Objectives • To acquaint our scholars and researchers the importance of family as a social institution • To know the different areas of family studies • To be knowledgeable about the sources of relevant family literature and NGOs • To comprehend the research designs in family studies • To understand the prevalent Measures in family studies • To motivate our scholars for indigenous research in child, marriage and the family .

3. Importance of Family in Everyone's Life • Everyone is always a role player in a family as child, adult, spouse, parent and/or grandparent. • Everyone influences and is being influenced by other family members. • Family is one of the most important variable in formation and development of personality. • The importance of marriage and family is emphasized in all religions including Islam.

4. Quotations in Al-Quran • “Allah has created all (creatures) in pairs/couples/mates” (ref. Al-Quran 51:49; 53:45; 75:39) • "And one of His signs is this: that He has created spouses amongst yourselves so that you may dwell in tranquility, and these are the signs for those who reflect" (Al-Quran 21:21) • “…They (women) are the garments for you and you (men) are the garments for them …" (Al-Quran 2:187)

5. Quotations in Al-Quran “And your Lord has decreed that you do not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word”. “And lower to them the wings of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small” (17:23-24).

6. Quotations of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ●“Marriage is my tradition (Sunnah) and who does not act upon it, is not amongst us” (ref. Ibne-Maja) ●“O’ adults, who have the capacity of maintenance (of marriage and family), get married; and who do not have the capacity of maintenance, it is better for them to go on fasting” (Al-Hadees) ●“Whoever marries, protects half of his religion, let him fear Allah in the other half” (ref. Sahih), endorses the importance of marriage in Islam.

7. Quotations of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) • "Anyone who does not respect his elders, and not kind to the young ones, is not amongst us" (Al-Hadees) • “Anyone who beats the woman is not amongst us" (Al-Hadees) • “The best among you (men) is he who is best to his wife” (Al-Hadees) • “The world is an asset; and the best asset is the righteous woman” (Al-Hadees) • “What a man can give to his children is their good socialization” (Al-Hadees)

8. ‘Family’ in the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 Article 35: Protection of Family etc.-The State shall protect the marriage, the family, the mother and the child. Article 25: Equality of citizens.- (1) All citizens are equal before law and entitled to equal protection of law. (2) There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex. (3) Nothing in this Article shall prevent the State for making any special provision for the protection of women and children.

9. Child, Marriage & Family Laws in Pakistan →Article 35 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 → Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 → InternationalConvention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 →(West Pakistan) Muslim Personal Law (Sharia) Application Act, 1962 →(West Pakistan) Family Courts Act, 1964 → Law of Evidence (Qanun-e-Shahadat) Order, 1984 → Enforcement of Sharia Act, 1991

10. Child, Marriage & Family Laws in Pakistan →The Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 →The Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 →Women Protection Act, 2006 →Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act, 2016 → The Punjab Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2014 →Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 →Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act, 1976 →Sharia Laws of Inheritance

11. Child Labor Laws in Pakistan Some of the important child labor laws are: The Factories Act 1934 The West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 The Employment of Children Act 1991 The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1992 The Punjab Compulsory Education Act 1994

12. Functions of the Family • Social needs: living together, mutual cooperation and coordination, sharing time together, social support, • Biological Needs: supporting all physical and dependency needs • Psychological needs: to love and be loved, to respect and be respected, self-esteem, seeking pleasure and happiness in life • Procreation: future generations • Financial needs: sharing finances, sharing socioeconomic status • Safety and security: to remain safe and secure in personal and group life • Better rearing: socialization of children with healthy family and social values for better growth, development and peace

13. Trends in Marriage and the Family • Globalization and influences on family structure, functions, traditions and values • Rapid familial changes in Gender Roles going on without appropriate models and guidance • Western researches, literature, and media ; Shortage of Eastern researches, literature, and media influence. • The indigenous studies required in this area

14. Research Methodology • Measures: • Marital Relationship Scale (Locke & Wallace, 1957), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1978), Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Busby et.al.,1995) are simple and the most commonly used scales with high reliability and validity, in addition to many others.

15. Research Designs • Surveys • Cross Sectional Design • Longitudinal Design • Cross Sectional/Longitudinal Design with suitable statistical analysis of the data

16. Areas of Family Studies Some areas for family studies are as following: 1. Marriage compatibility or incompatibility, 2. Marital relationship, 3. Transition to motherhood, 4. Transition to fatherhood, 5. Transition to parenthood, 6. Marriage and Family dynamics, 7. Fertility, Infertility and marital relations, 8. Early childhood development, 9. Early childhood education, 10. Adolescent development,

17. Areas of Family Studies 11. Adulthood studies, 12. Work and family life balance, 13. Fertility and Infertility in families and their repercussions, 14. Human Development and sexuality, 15. Child rearing practices, 16. Marital discords and tensions, 17. Divorce and widowhood in family, 18. Marriage and remarriage, 19. Polygamy, 20. Gender roles,

18. Areas of Family Studies 21. Human sexuality and reproductive health, 22. Lesbian and gay marriages in Eastern & Western perspectives, 23. Intergenerational relationship, 24. Death and bereavement in family, 25. Unethical and Inhuman family traditions, 26. Human rights and family, 27. Child custody issues, 28. Spouse and children's maintenance issues, 29. In-laws and extended family relations, 30. Child abuse and neglect (physical, verbal, emotional, sexual abuse)

19. Areas of Family Studies 31. Spouse abuse, 32. Elderly abuse, 33. Genetics and family, 34. Family intermarriages, 35. Violence in families, 36. Inter-and-intra familial communication, 37. Emotional Intelligence and family relations, 38. Families and poverty, 39. Families, physical/mental sickness and suicides, 40. Psycho geriatrics and elderly care,

20. Areas of Family Studies 41. Planned pregnancy and parenthood, 42. Financial literacy in family, 43. Healthy and unhealthy families, 44. Forced marriages, runaways and court marriages, 45. Honor killings, scapegoat, violence in society, 46. Family inheritance issues, 47. Women deprivation of property rights, 48. Orphanage, foster care, 49. Child lost, runaways, abduction, begging, 50. Child labor, bonded labor,

21. Areas of Family Studies 51. Family human resource development, 52. Searching for a suitable partnership 53. Family resilience, 54. Child, marriage and family interventions, 55. Individual and group counseling and psychotherapy.

22. Some Family Orgs. around the World • Pakistan Council on Family Relations, Pakistan www.familyrelation.org • World Family Organization, US www.worldfamilyorganization.org • National Council on Family Relations, US www.ncfr.org • Doha International Family Institute, www.difi.org.qa • Family NGO in Australia, www.familyrelationships.org.au • Family NGO in New Zealand, www.familylife.org.nz • Family NGO in UK, www.cfab.org.uk • Family NGO in Philippines, www.alfi.org.ph

23. Research Journals Some research journals/resources are as following: • Journal of Marriage and Family • Journal of Family Relations • Journal of Family Theory and Review • Sage Family Studies Abstracts • Blackwell companion to Family Sociology • Child Abuse and Neglect, ISPCAN, US • Early Development and Parenting • Family Violence Research Laboratory, US • Mother and Child, Pakistan • Age and Aging

24. Family Study Degrees • Bachelor, • Master and • Doctorate in Family Studies in many universities around the world especially, US.

25. Summary • Family is one of the greatest blessing of the Creator and Sustainer of this universe • Thorough investigations should be conducted in all areas of marriage and the family in our sociocultural perspectives • Family is the first and last resort for human resource development • Family can make or mar the potentials of an individual and society

26. Summary • Almost all of our personal and social problems begin and end up in the family • Proper knowledge and skills for healthy and happy marriage and family life should be imparted to all our generations • Family is the ultimate beacon of hope and peace for mankind • Family is the source of comfort, beauty and love for men, women and children living together with enjoyment and happiness.

27. Summary • Family is the greatest asset of our society and should not be neglected anymore. • We must take care of our families at every cost to alleviate our personal and social sufferings • We must provide full support, highest respect and extreme love for the integrity, empowerment and enrichment of the family for peace, prosperity and happiness of our men, women and children.