CHANGING ROLES OF

FILIPINO FAMILY

Introdu
The family is a solid unit whose
ction:
interests are primary to that of the

individuals composing it. Within the

neighborhood, it is the entire family, not its
individual members, which decides on the
resolution of important matters; thus it is
the honor of the family which is at stake
when an individual member of the unit
commits a mistake and not of the person
himself.

Introdu
The super ordination of the family over
ction:
individual interests has a far-reaching
significance. Emphasis on family loyalty
and support prevails which in turn
underlines the concept of family solidarity.
It is the family which provides the average
Filipino with a stable unit for socialization
and a reservoir of emotional security and
support.

Introdu
ction:
It is in the family that she acquires
her first orientation to group life,
learns and internalizes the values of
Filipino culture and finds guidance
throughout her life.

History of the
word Family
The word family first referred to the
servants of a household and then to
both the servants and the descendants
of a common ancestor. It comes from
the Latin word familia, meaning
'household; household servants', which
came from another Latin term
famulus , or 'servant'. It was not until
1667 that the term was used
specifically for the group of people

What is Family?
A fundamental social group in society
typically consisting of one or two parents and
their children.
Two or more people who share goals and
values, have long-term commitments to one
another, and reside usually in the same dwelling
place.
All the members of a household under one
roof.
A basic unit of the social structure and it is
almost universal in its occurrence.

The Family have certain

characteristics:
As a social group, it is universal. It is a significant element in mans social life.
Nowadays, changes in the family (e.g. from traditional structure to non-traditional
structure ) are happening brought about by the changing economic climate &
technological advancements but it has remained a basic institution in the society.
It is the first social group to which an individual is exposed. Family relationships last a
long time & an individuals
: earliest & longest experience in living takes place in a family
setting.
The family affects the individuals social values, disposition, & outlook in life. The family
is the source of the individuals ideals, aspirations, & basic motivations.
The family is said to be the link between an individual & the larger society. In this way
we can say that a persons interaction &/or attitude inside the family unit affects or is a
determinant in how that person interacts in the community that his family belongs.
Logically, from the assertion above, the family is understood to provide continuity of
social life. It is a major agent in the transmission of culture which also affects &/or
reflects the culture of the society.

What is a Filipino
Family?
The Filipino family in general is still monogamous.
The Filipino family plays a unique role for the child as it gives
him affection, care, attention, protection, and engenders in him a
sense of belongingness and security.
The Filipino family is an institute of security which protects its
members from exigencies of living.
The Filipino family founded on love and affection, sanctified by
the virtue of Christian marriage is cohesive in nature.
In general, in the home of Filipino family, there is a love,
cooperation, respect, justice, democracy and above all there is

ditional Filipino Fam

And
tended Filipino Fam

What is a Traditional
Family?

The Husband and Father leader or head of the family and his
authority is respected.
The Wife and Mother is the heart. She holds the family together.

Role
of
the
The father is considered the head
and the provider of
the family while the
Parents
(Tradition)
mother takes responsibility of the
domestic needs and in-charge of the
emotional growth and values formation of
the children. They both perform different
tasks and being remarked separately by
the children. Children see their mothers
soft and calm, while they regard their
fathers as strong and the most eminent
figure in the family.

Parent-child
Children in a traditional Filipino family
Relationship
are trained not to answer back when
parents are reprimanding them.

Family Faith and

Religion
Traditionally, the religion of the Filipino
parents becomes the religion of the
children. No one is supposed to change
faith as a respect to the parents.

Traditional
1. Strong respect for elders. Children are
Filipino
Family
taught from birth how to say po and
opo to teach them as early as possible
how to properly respect their elders.
These words are used to show respect
to people of older level.
2. Keep close connection with other
relatives.

Filipino
Family
According to Paz Policarpio
Mendez and F. Landa Jocano (1974),
the traditional Filipino family were:
acknowledges the importance of both
consanguineal (blood) and affinal
(marriage) ties.
ritual kinship in terms of godparents is
recognized as being special because it is
embedded in the Filipino community

Traditional
Consanguineal or biological ties
Filipino
Family
remain as the most
important relations
Consanguineal family - consists of a
parent and his or her children, and other
people. This family is also called
extended family which does not only
covers up to your grandparents but may
go the network of relatives that extends
beyond the domestic conjugal family.

Consanguineal Family / Extende

 Some rural Filipinos, when choosing

friends and possible spouses, carefully
examined genealogies to assess virtues
and shortcomings because they believed
that a person's hereditary character shows.

Traditional
Belen Medina found that:
Filipino
Family
Blood bonds are
so important, that a
person can be judged on the basis of who
her or his relatives are. It follows that
parents and children share an
exceptionally strong and intimate bond.
They give each other much mutual
affection and respect. Children are taught
by their parents to be gentle and
deferential to elders, and this is carried on
after they get married.

Traditional
Gelia Castillo and Juanito
Filipino
Pua (1963, p.Family
116) classify the
Filipino family as
residentially nuclear but functionally
extended." This means that the household
tends to be nuclear in form, but the family
is extended in so far as relationships
among members of the wider kin group
are concerned.

Filipinos and the Value Placed

in the Family
Filipinos are generally family oriented. Because of this
many actions, plans & goals in life of an individual are
either affected or is centered upon the family. According
to Timbreza (2003), family success is the measure of a
successful life for the Filipinos. He lists some sayings of
Filipino tribes that has something to do with how they
view the Family.
Boholanos: Ang familia nga nagatanum ug kaayohan
nag-ani ug kapalaran; ang nagatanum ug kadautan,
nag-ani og lonlon kasakitan (The family that sows
goodness reaps fortune; the one that sows evil reaps

Analysis: Here we can see the concept of karma

among Filipinos. It is different from Buddhism, it has
something to do however with reversion that whatever a
person does or does not do in the family, it will have
either a positive or negative consequence in the future to
him/her or his/her family.
Bicolanos: An harong man palasyo kun an laog
kuwago, marhay pa ang payag na laog tao (A house
may be a palace, but if the owner is an owl, better is a
hut where the owner is a human being)
Tagalogs: Mabuti pa ang kubo na ang nakatira ay tao,
kaysa isang bahay na bato na ang nakatira ay kuwago
(A hut where a person lives is better than a house of
stone where an owl resides.)

Analysis: These sayings are somewhat the same as

both reflect the value place upon the persons in the
family rather than the economic influences as symbolize
by the house of stone or the palace.
Ilocanos: Ti timpuyog ti pamilia isut mangted ti kired
ken pigsa (Family harmony provides fortitude &
strength). Uray awan ti kukuam, no la ket nauros ti
pamiliam (Even though you dont have property as long
as you have a harmonious family).
Analysis: Here we can see how happiness in the family
takes precedence above all among the Filipinos. This
can be evident in todays televised drama/shows as
either centered upon the family or has something great
to do with the family & family dynamics.

Modern Filipino Fam

According to Medina (2001) : The definition of Filipino

family is evolving as structures continue to change. One
of the current definitions which encompass all types of
families is:
two or more persons who share resources
share responsibility for decisions
share values & goals, and
have a commitment to each other over time.
The function attributed to families are:
economic consumption
socialization of the young, and
affective dimensions
(Davidso and Moore, 1992 as cited by Medina, 2001)

Family Structures of
Today
Because of the economic situation &
technological advancement, interaction in
the family is changing. There is a trend to
nuclearization as families are being drawn
to urbanized areas to work. Parents who go
abroad to find greener pastures so to speak
leave behind their children to other relatives
thus shifting the authority to them which
also affects how the child interacts to the

The decision maker which is traditionally held by

the eldest male in the family is slowly fading as
there is tendency for the breadwinner (most likely
the working member or highest earner in the
family) to assume this role though respect is still
accorded to the eldest still. Female headship
has become an urban phenomenon because it is
in the urban center where employment
opportunities for women are more available
(Medina, 2001). Urbanization not only changed
family dynamics but also weakened family ties &
also the ties between the individual & the larger
kin group.

Family Structures of Today

Residence is said to determine the quality & quantity of interaction
with relatives for it has something to do with who is to live with
whom which would logically affect the pattern of socialization
among relatives &/or family members. For example, a child who
grows with his uncle because his parents are both working abroad
will be more likely emotionally attached to his uncle than with his
parents. Taken from
http://anthro.palomar.edu/marriage/marriage_5.htm here are the
basic residence rules consistent with Medina (2001):
One-parent family consist either :
A matrilocal family - denoting a custom in marriage whereby the
husband goes to live with the wife's community.

 occurs when a newly married couple establishes

their home near or in the bride's mother's house.
This keeps women near their female relatives. Not
surprisingly, this residence pattern is associated with
matrilineal descent (that is, when descent is
measured only from females to their offspring, as in
the case of the green people below). Men leave
their natal households when they marry. About 13%
of the world's societies have matrilocal residence

 A patrilocal family - relating to a pattern of marriage in

which the couple settles in the husband's home or
community.

occurs when a newly married couple establishes their

home near or in the groom's father's house. This makes
sense in a society that follows patrilineal descent (that is,
when descent is measured only from males to their
offspring, as in the case of the red people in the diagram
below). This is because it allows the groom to remain
near his male relatives. Women do not remain in their
natal household after marriage with this residence
pattern. About 69% of the world's societies follow
patrilocal residence, making it the most common.

Avunculocal family - occurs when a newly married

couple establishes their home near or in the groom's
maternal uncle's house. This is associated with
matrilineal descent. It occurs when men obtain statuses,
jobs, or prerogatives from their nearest elder matrilineal
male relative. Having a woman's son live near her
brother allows the older man to more easily teach his
nephew what he needs to know in order to assume his
matrilineally inherited role. About 4% of the world's
societies have avunculocal residence.

Ambilocal family - occurs when a newly married couple has the

choice of living with or near the groom's or the bride's family. The
couple may also live for a while with one set of parents and then
move to live with the other. About 9% of the world's societies
have ambilocal residence.
Neolocal family - occurs when a newly married couple
establishes their home independent of both sets of relatives.
While only about 5% of the world's societies follow this pattern, it
is popular and common in urban North America today largely
because it suits the cultural emphasis on independence.
However, economic hardship at times makes neolocal residence a
difficult goal to achieve, especially for young newlyweds.
Elsewhere, neolocal residence is found in societies in which
kinship is minimized or economic considerations require moving
residence periodically. Employment in large corporations or the
military often calls for frequent relocations, making it nearly
impossible for extended families to remain together.

 A step family or blended family - describes

families with mixed parents: one or both
parents remarried, bringing children of the
former family into the new family. This type of
family is an emerging trend now due to
annulment, separation or a death of a spouse.
A same-sex couple family consist of a
couple of the same gender and may have
adopted children.
Live-in partners family consist of couple
without getting married and have children .

 A family of bond or purpose - consist of a group in

which they may have strong relations, or share same
ideologies in which they would consider themselves a
family.
Solo parents are also proliferating nowadays. The
types are:
1. Widow or widower & his/her offspring
2. Single man/woman with adopted child/children
3. Separated parent & his/her children
4. Unwed woman & her child/children
5. Mistress & her child/children by a married man

Primary importance here is placed on the issues

of commitment & affection.
Residence is not a criterion as there are also
people who lives under one roof but are not
necessarily considered a family (referred to as
households). It defines above as a group of
persons living under one roof & sharing the same
kitchen & housekeeping arrangements. The
residents of a boarding house, a
fraternity/sorority house, or a dormitory constitute
a household but not a family.

Pattern of Authority

According to Dictionary.com (
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/authority), authority has
something to do with the power to determine to command.
Applied in the family, there are 3 types of authority patterns:

Patriarchal
The oldest male, usually the father has control over
the other members.
Matriarchal
The mother has the authority. This however, usually
goes with matrilocal residence or matrilineal descent.
Equalitarian
This is where most Filipino families are classified.
Although the husband is generally referred to as the
head, the wife is in charge with the money & the
organization in the house & its affairs.

Realization
Here we can see a connection between the
system of residence & authority. The more
someone is associated with another (because of
location) the more the older person (here pertains
in the family dynamics) will have authority on the
younger one. Also, the equality of male & female
when it comes in the family is exemplified by the
nature of most Filipino family when it comes to
authority (which is equalitarian in nature). Family
terminologies that Medina (2001) saw as
significant indicator of the equal

treatment of males & females (neutral) among Filipino families

are: asawa (spouse), kapatid (brother or sister/sibling), anak (son
or daugther), apo (grandchild), bata (child), magulang (parent),
pamangkin (nephew or niece), pinsan (cousin), manugang (childin-law), & biyenan (parent-in-law). It is then by putting na lalaki
(male) or na babae (female) after these terms will gender be
designated.
The topic of responsibility is thus an important area of the family to
be discussed as it is a logical consequence of authority. According
to Timbreza (2003), parental responsibility means pananagutang
pangmagulang from pananagutan (responsibility or basically
means answer) & magulang (parent) thus we can see that
Filipino parents are answerable or responsible for the upbringing
of their children to the extent that failure of a child in life means
failure in the parents in upbringing. The issue of discipline is thus
important here with regards to authority. Here are some
philosophical views among them:

Tagalogs: Ang kahoy na likot baluktot, hutukin mo hanggang

malambot, kung malaki nat tumayog, mahirap na ang paghutok (A
curved & crooked tree should be straightened while its still soft; once it
grows big & tall, it will be difficult to stretch it).
Ang gawa sa pagkabata, dala hanggang sa pagtanda (Ones ways
during childhood are borne until old age).
Analysis: We can see that Filipinos already have a good grasp as to
when is it a good time to discipline a child. When the child is small
he/she should be moulded already for as he/she ages so will also
his/her character becomes cemented hence the difficult formation later.
Illonggos: Ang guinicanan amo ang sentro sang responsibilidad
(Parents are the focal point of responsibility).
Boholanos: Unsa ang mga guinicanan ma-o opod ang ilang caliwat
(Whoever the parents are, so are the children).
Ilocanos: Dagiti annak tis arming dagiti nagannak (Children are the
frelection of the parents).

Analysis: This is an echoing of what have been stated earlier

about the extent of parents responsibility in the formation of their
children. Furthermore, there is conveying of the attitudes of
children as a reflection of their parents. Children will do what their
parents do. This is not only true with Filipinos or some nationalities
but is supported by research as with the Theory of Albert Bandura 3
namely the Social Learning Theory. According to this theory,
behaviour is said to be the result of interaction among an
individual, the environment (physical or social) & the behaviour
itself. Change is anyone of these 3 means change in all; this is
called reciprocal determinism (Refer to picture next page).

To elaborate further, the individual, upon witnessing other people

perform certain behaviours to achieve certain goals can either copy or
not the behaviour. It is here that the question of self-efficacy surfaces.
Adoption of a certain behaviour depends upon the personal evaluation
of a person whether he thinks he can do it himself. Second, the
environment which encompasses the physical & social spheres could
affect the decision of the individual to adapt certain behaviour. If he sees
that people around his house, or at school disapprove the behaviour it
could be a determining factor not to adapt the behaviour he previously
observed. Last but not the least, the information gathered upon the
environment based on personal evaluation will then be levelled by the
perceived or expected value of the outcome when the behaviour is
thought to be adopted. If the individual finally sees & weighs the
importance of the outcome as very important (has higher incentives) for
himself then he is likely to adapt the behaviour previously observed.
Realization
The attitude of the Filipino child therefore is justifiably seen as the sum
of what he experiences/observes at home.

Kin Group Size

The kinship system among Filipinos is an
important concern & is somehow related to
the natural tendencies of Filipinos toward
extended family. This establishes the family
in the society. To add, this system does not
limit to the blood relatives including: kinship
created by binyag (Baptism) & marriage (as
with the compadrazgo system or commonly
known as the comadre-compadre system).
By this standard we can see that family size
is thus very large among Filipinos.

Modern Filipino
Family

Social relationships become more

impersonal and businesslike

less religiously oriented

Role of the
Parents
Today, in most urban centers of the
Philippines two-income families are quite
common, with both parents having full-time
jobs. The mother still takes care of the
household chores but with the help of the
helper and a nanny who takes care of the
baby at home.

Parent-child
Relationship
Filipino children today are learning to reason
with their parents just like what they see on
Western movies and television programs. Most
Filipino parents still consider it disrespectful for
their children to answer back or reason with
them. As a result, it creates tension and conflicts
in their relationships.

Family Faith and

Religion

American freedom of religion

influenced the younger generation to
choose what to believe and help the
parents to be more open-minded when
it comes to their children's choice of
faith

Conclusion
Change is constant & the basic unit of society- the
family- is not immune to it. It is composed of human
beings & human beings naturally adapt to the
environment to survive. The environment is continually
changing prompting people to change their interaction
with it & one another also. To this, we are challenged as
Filipinos to see if the changes we welcome in our homes
are actually working to our advantages- do these
promote better relationships & worthwhile
companionship among family members & among
families in the society? Everything has a consequence.

Although many forces outside the

family are affecting it, it has still for
the most part remained as it is
among Filipinos- the most
important area to be successful.
Ties or solidarity with each other
are very much seen during
calamities & problems. Bayanihan
(helping each other in the
community like in the transferring
of homes) although is slowly
fading in general, we can still
observe concern during times of
illness or celebration during times
of triumph among Filipino families.