nternational Day of Families is an observance that was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. The first celebration took place in 1994. A year later, in 1995, the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen recognised the importance of the family as the basic unit of society and acknowledged that it played a key role in social development and, as such, should be strengthened. The Programme of Action of the World Social Summit acknowledged that various forms of the family exist in different cultural, political and social systems and that every family was entitled to comprehensive protection and support. The 2023 International Day of Families is being observed to raise awareness of the impact of demographic trends on families. Demographic trends in marriage, cohabitation, divorce, fertility and mortality also influence family and household composition. Economic shifts and improvements in the health of the elderly over time can also have an impact.

Family is the basic unit of society. The international event provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the issues related to families and to increase knowledge about the social, economic and demographic processes that affect them. The family ideally has several functions in a society. It socialises children, provides practical and emotional support for its members and provides its members with a social identity.

In recent years, several demographic trends have affected the shift from two-parent to one-parent families. A larger proportion of births occurred to unmarried women in 1990s compared to 1970s, increasing the proportion of never-married parents. The delay of marriage also augmented the risk of a non-marital birth because adults were single for more years. In addition, the growth in divorce among couples with children increased the proportion of unmarried parents.

Demographic change is one of the most important megatrends impacting our world and the life and well-being of families worldwide. Demographic trends are mostly shaped by fertility and mortality patterns. Declining fertility rates result in benefits for families as they are more able to invest in their children’s health and education, which in turn helps with poverty reduction and socioeconomic development. Research indicates that decreasing fertility is also associated with increasing labour force participation by women.

The day emphasises the need to support and protect the rights of families, particularly in times of crisis or conflict. Families can face a range of challenges, such as poverty, migration and natural disasters, which can impact their well-being and require support and intervention from governments, organisations and communities.

Changes in the number and types of households depend on population growth, shifts in the age composition of the population and decisions that individuals make about their living arrangements. A second area of family change is low fertility in industrialised economies. Push and pull factors, economics, violence and conflict, climate change, remittances and retaining cultural and familial ties affect family setup at large.

Family is the basic unit of society. The international event provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the issues related to families and to increase knowledge about the social, economic and demographic processes that affect them.

Culture is an important aspect of sustainable social and economic development. It refers to how we understand and appreciate family resources responding to one another. Families come in as the environment where ethical and cultural values are achieved in a natural way. As basic and essential building blocks of societies, families have a crucial role in social development. They bear the primary responsibility for the education and socialisation of children as well as encouraging values of citizenship and belonging in society. Family units serve as the nursery for the citizens that become the population of a society. The values of the families will be reflected in society on the whole.

In Pakistan, the family forms the foundation of society and encompasses a wide range of relationships. This has great significance on a daily basis. A vast majority of Pakistanis live in multigenerational households whereby two to three generations reside together (including grandparents, uncles, siblings and cousins). The socioeconomic conditions make family ties essential for survival. Many Pakistani marriages are arranged by family elders. However, nuclear family households are becoming more common in Pakistan to meet financial obligations.

Pakistan is a very diverse country. With that diversity, the culture becomes pretty zigzag as well. Many different communities are present throughout Pakistan, each with different cultures. Each culture has its own traditions, values, norms, customs and family system. Uniqueness is a part of the Pakistani culture as well. Each culture has its own family values too. Even different families in the same culture have different family values.

Above all, in Pakistan, family is a strong binding force. Our culture revolves around having big families and living together in harmony. It is common in our culture to take care of family members, especially the elderly.

This tight-knit family culture allows the in-need family members to not feel abandoned. A survey has revealed that sixty-seven percent of Pakistanis prefer to live in a joint family system. A large number of aged people depend on their family, especially on their children or grandchildren, for physical and financial support. However, like other Asian countries, over time, the balance is shifting towards a nuclear family system in Pakistan too. Multiple factors are responsible for this shifting trend from joint to nuclear family system. These include financial pressures, decreasing living space, movement for jobs and rapid urbanisation.

The writer is a playwright and freelance journalist. He can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com