Strengthening the Family - Implications for International Development (United Nations University - UNU, 1991, 268 pages): Social change and the family: Reach of post-modern influences into the developing world

Strengthening the Family - Implications for International Development (United Nations University - UNU, 1991, 268 pages)

Social change and the family

		Sociological, anthropological, and historical perspectives
		The modern family
		Positive links between socio-economic development and the modern family
		Negative effects of development on the family and society
		Changes in the late- and post-industrial era
		At the threshold of profound change
		The post-modern family
		Reach of post-modern influences into the developing world
		Lessons from the social change literature for family social health
		A post-modern approach to progress
		References

Reach of post-modern influences into the developing world

In this global village, developing country villages, such as in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, are now dotted with satellite dishes bringing in the latest news and lifestyles of the West (Dr. Hank Shumacher 1992, USAID/Peshawar, personal communication). This permeability creates great uniformity in the standards, values, and lifestyles of the middle class throughout the world. Middle-class families in Boston, Lagos, Peshawar, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Tashkent feel obliged to buy Nintendo for their children. With the Super Mario Brothers' Nintendo game, these children are instantly at home with each other. This permeability also makes it impossible to hide from the poor the extent of their disentitlement.