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this page Newsletters - The Impact of Globalisation on Families and Communities
Australia
Globalisation has provoked mixed reactions in Australian society. Some point to the deleterious impact of global markets on domestic culture, the nature of jobs and values. Others point to the benefits of increased gross domestic product, employment opportunities and living standards. As globalisation is most probably here to stay as a dominant force in the world’s economy and society, a key question is how best to identify its shortfalls and address them and - most importantly - how to harness its potential to benefit societies’ poorest members.
The entry of increasing numbers of women into the paid workforce is also having an impact on the roles of family members, particularly in caring for dependents whether they be children or older parents. There has been a rapid rise in demand for child-care and paid carers, functions that were once performed within families. But women continue to take the brunt of domestic responsibilities in Australian families, even when they may be the primary breadwinner.
The decline in male employment, particularly in “unskilled” industries, has also compounded family dynamics, diminishing the role and status of fathers and husbands and often creating significant relationship tensions.
Poverty and the Distribution of Wealth
Hand-in-hand with changes to workplaces has been the impact globalisation has had on wealth and income for Australian families.
Australia is a relatively prosperous country and access to global markets for Australian goods has helped to make it more so in recent years. However, there is growing evidence that the distribution of wealth has become increasingly uneven, with extended levels of poverty for some groups and communities combined with very high income growth for others. This disparity creates unhelpful and unfair divisions. The evidence of such inequities is highlighted by the following:
- A significant growth in the number of children living in two-income families, together with increasing numbers who live in families where no adult is in paid employment. This not only creates financial inequities but concomitant problems for both family groups - the “over” and the “under” employed.
- The unsustainably high levels of disadvantage experienced by particular sections of the population - particularly indigenous Australians.
With birth rates declining, much of Australia’s population growth is resulting from inward migration coupled with increased life expectancy. Australian families are also changing, with the number of “reconstituted” families increasing as a result of consistently high levels of divorce and family separation. There is also a relatively high proportion of single headed (predominately female) households.
One of the impacts of such changes is the alarming rates of domestic violence, particularly in some segments of the population, and the even more disturbing rates of child abuse and neglect of children and young people.
Response of Anglican Organisations
Anglican agencies, operating under a national umbrella, Anglicare Australia, form a network to assist families, working both at parish level and large-scale programmes. They deliver services to combat the onset of disadvantage, strengthen family resilience and relationships as well as advocating fairer public policy. Anglicare’s reports have highlighted the lower life expectancy and poverty of Australia’s indigenous community - arguably they have been the greatest casualty of globalisation. Another major concern is the problems of isolated rural communities where a combination of the withdrawal of services and the impact of climate change and drought has left them vulnerable and unsustainable. This has hastened the drift of people - particularly the young - to the city.
The growing number of Australian families in conflict has led to specialist services being established to maintain safe and positive relationships between separated parents and children. Through the Children’s Contact Service, separated parents who remain in conflict - often with violent and abusive outcomes - are assisted to re-connect with children through supervised contact sessions and helped to manage future access visits in a less fractious manner. In addition, a state-wide parenting order programme, Kids Are First, helps parents experiencing difficulty in communicating with each after divorce and separation. Issues of grief and anger from past relationship tensions often spill over into a failure to protect children from ongoing aggression and violence. Kids Are First offers mediation, counselling and works through small groups to discover better ways for separated parents to relate to children and each other.
More importantly, Anglicare’s response has been to build the independence and capacity of families and communities to deal with the demands of day-to-day life. For example, The Annexe, an outreach in a small, rundown, shopping centre, was established to connect with local parents and children in surroundings which were familiar, accessible and non-stigmatising. Building on services initially aimed at local primary school children - including a breakfast club and after-school activities - The Annexe has become a local hub for parents. It offers an informal place to meet as well as a venue for organised activities from free use of computers to health information seminars, art and craft, budget cooking and support groups for parents. Its success lies in activities being participant-directed, building lasting connections and emphasising strengths and assets. In its own small way The Annexe, together with other outreaches established by Anglicare in the region, are helping to rewrite the script for parents and a community which is usually characterised for its deprivation and deficits rather than the qualities and abilities of its citizens.
So the approach adopted by a large number of Anglican community services in such areas has been to slowly build the capacity of local families through engagement and involvement in programmes that build life-skills, independence and mutual support. Increasingly, Anglican agencies are also facilitating efforts to build connections for people in impoverished communities to economic opportunities. The best way for families to be protected from the ravages of poverty is to be in a position to benefit from the economic growth being fuelled by globalisation.
As John Howard, the former Prime Minister, noted in 1999:
Globalisation… is creating deep social pain and political costs as sensitive sectors are opened up to outside competition and go through difficult adjustments. The human costs are hurtful and governments have a responsibility to help people through the process.”
Equally, other institutions and people have a responsibility to help people through the process.
This is not just about the redistribution of wealth and opportunity, although this is central to the solution. It is about sustaining families and relationships as a cornerstone of our community and society, in supporting positive and constructive dialogue and an assertion of values that foster respect and tolerance.
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