Focus on Families: reinforcing the importance of family
A summary of research conducted as part of the Families with Dependent Children - Successful Outcomes project (2005)
Report on literature review and focus groups
"I think a successful family...is one where you see each other all the time and they're the people you go to for advice and support." (Christchurch, young person 19-25 years)
Background
The study
Key findings
Conclusions
What next?
Background
This study set out to improve understanding of successful outcomes for families with dependent children and the things that help and hinder family wellbeing, as described by families themselves.
Family life in New Zealand is changing. People are marrying at a later age and separation and re-partnering are becoming more common. Couples are more likely to live in de-facto relationships than in the past. Parents are having children at a later age and women are having fewer children. More often both parents are in paid work. The number of one-parent families is increasing. In the context of these changes, we need to understand how families can be best supported to carry out their roles.
The study
This report brings together the findings of 43 focus groups conducted with families across New Zealand, with information from other family studies. It uses an 'ecological framework' [1] to analyse and understand these findings. This framework recognises that family wellbeing depends on a range of influences that either support or hinder successful outcomes. These influences include what happens inside families; interaction with friends, neighbourhoods, communities and workplaces; interaction with government policies and services; and wider social and economic influences.
The ecological framework suggests all of these environments work together and all have a bearing on family life, both its challenges and its successes.
Key findings
Living as a family
People in our study placed a high value on having a strong and supportive family life. They felt successful families are those which can cope with challenges, have positive parenting skills and strong communication between family members. They also thought it was critical to have a good balance of time alone, time with the family and time with partners.
Parents' goals for their families largely focused on their children's future. Parents wanted their children to grow into responsible, happy and self-sufficient adults. For some, passing on cultural, spiritual and religious values was also important. Overall people's hopes for their families were quite modest. That is, they did not expect family members to become rich or extraordinarily successful, but they did hope their families could meet the physical and emotional needs of individual family members.
Some families however, and particularly those with low living standards, are likely to face more challenges than others, often due to factors outside of their control. his group includes single-parent families, benefit recipients, families with at least one non-European adult and those in rental housing[2]. These groups may require support to enhance their family outcomes.
Families in neighbourhoods, communities and the workplace
People told us that friends, neighbours and communities were an important source of support for their families. Other studies show the quality of these networks is crucial and that where neighbourhoods are stable and have adequate resources, outcomes for families are likely to be improved. Focus groups told us they appreciated existing community services but suggested improvements could be made to the range and cost of activities available to children and families locally.
The workplace also has a notable impact on family life. Paid employment can improve an individual's social opportunities, self-worth, family income and living standards. At the same time work can create pressures on family members' time and affect childcare needs. Overall, our research suggests one of the most significant challenges faced by families with dependent children is achieving a reasonable balance between family time and time spent at work. Single-parent families and/or those with low incomes in particular found balancing work and family life challenging.
"I get up and go to work at 10 to six in the morning and I get home at half past six, seven at night...I come home and the comment I get is, 'it's no good coming home now, what are you going to do, brush the kids' teeth and put them to bed'. And I'm looking at all the financial things going on and I'm just looking at the Visa bill going, just oh."
Families have different preferences about childrearing, parenting and employment and different needs according to how many children they have and how old their children are. Focus group participants told us that they wanted to have a choice about how they balance their time and income. The potential supports they identified as helping them to achieve a good balance of time and income were access to appropriate childcare, financial and/or tax assistance for families with dependent children and flexible working conditions.
Families, public policy and supports
Families are affected by a wide range of government policies and services and their need for these services change over time and in response to events such as the birth of a child or job loss. A number of people in our study raised concerns about existing public policies and services and some improvements were suggested, particularly in the area of parenting services and the costs of family life.
Focus groups told us parenting is a rewarding if challenging task and that to do it well requires good support. They thought most parents need parenting advice and that seeking this advice should be considered normal rather than embarrassing.
"There is the pressure today to be a good mother or a good father or a good family and to be able to do everything that is expected of you. It is embarrassing to seek help. It is evidence that the family is a problem, and people don't want to admit to that."
They also noted that current parenting advice and its availability could be improved.
The research also tells us that policies and services relating to family income and living standards are important for family life. An adequate income is necessary to meet families' basic needs, allow families to achieve a reasonable standard of living, and support people's choices and aspirations for their families. Many participants thought that government tax and social assistance policies should provide more significant support to families. Some believed current provisions could be improved by providing financial assistance to all families with dependent children. People also suggested families' understanding of their entitlements, and how to obtain necessary financial supports in particular could be improved.
Families in society
Many of the values that people considered important to families were similar, but there were tensions between what some families felt was important and what they believe society considers important.
"The problem that we have had as parents is the clash between our values and the society around us..."
For example, some families felt their cultural values are not respected in today's society and would prefer more reinforcement of these values, for example, in schools. Another example is that some families feel society is too accepting of young people's use of drugs and alcohol and believe society should do more to discourage such behaviours.
Other ways in which society influences family outcomes are through distribution of income and resources, and social prejudice and discrimination. Participants from a range of family types highlighted issues of social stereotyping, bullying and violence and suggested there was a need to educate people about different cultures and values and raise awareness about prejudice and discrimination. This may include changing policies or practices that define families narrowly.
Conclusions: reinforcing the importance of families
The influences on families' lives are diverse and complex. Families themselves are diverse, taking many forms and holding a range of views, values, and beliefs.
Economic disadvantage, time constraints, lack of parenting knowledge/skills, poor relationship and communication skills and poor access to resources and services come through in this research as key barriers families experience in achieving successful outcomes. Some families, particularly those with low incomes and single-parent families, experience greater challenges than others. When families have the supports in place to be able to cope with challenges and change barriers can begin to be overcome. These findings have implications for future policy and service development, as well as future efforts by families, communities and society to help families overcome barriers.
Participants placed great value on the family unit and on parenting, despite the challenges they experience. Many people emphasised that families are a source of happiness and strength but acknowledged that at times external events or a crisis can place pressure on the most positive family relationship. Family relationships are not only highly valued but, along with a family's circumstances, have a significant impact on outcomes for individual family members. The value people place on families should be reflected in practice - that of workplaces and public policies and services. By encouraging people to take a 'families perspective', families' viewpoints will increasingly become part of the development of new policies and programmes.
Finally, the research reinforces the view that action is required at many levels to improve outcomes for families. Family members, neighbours, communities, policy-makers, service developers and society more broadly all have a role to play.
What next?
This report does not make specific recommendations, but will inform the ongoing work of the Families Commission. For example, issues raised in this study about parenting reinforce issues raised in our recent review of parenting programmes and will contribute to advocacy work in this area. Overall the findings will assist us in our work to promote the interests of families through public education, through better policies and practices that enhance family interests and through research into family matters.
A further report that reflects the views of family members who responded to the What makes your family tick? consultation has since became available (April 2006). Visit the Publications page to view the report and a Summary of the Findings from the Public Consultation and Overall Study.
Additional information
The full versions of the reports from this study are available at www.nzfamilies.org.nz Hard copies of reports can be requested from the Families Commission, PO Box 2839, Wellington or enquiries@nzfamilies.org.nz
Footnotes
[1]The ecological framework was originally developed by Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979) The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.
[2]Ministry of Social Development (2005)The Social Report 2005: Te Purongo Oranga Tangata. Ministry of Social Development, Wellington.