Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. Additionally, the concept of family values may be understood as a reflection of the degree to which familial relationships are valued within an individual's life.
In the social sciences and U.S. political discourse, the conventional term Nuclear family describes the nuclear family—a child-rearing environment composed of a leader father, a homemaking mother, and their nominally biological children. A family deviating from this model is considered a nontraditional family.
Definition
Several online dictionaries define "family values" as the following:
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"the morality and ethics principles traditionally upheld and passed on within a family, as fidelity, honesty, truth, and faith."
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"values especially of a traditional or Conservatism kind which are held to promote the sound functioning of the family and to strengthen the fabric of society."
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"values held to be traditionally taught or reinforced within a family, such as those of high moral standards and discipline."
In politics
Familialism or
familism is the
ideology that puts priority on
family and family values.
Familialism advocates for a welfare system where families, rather than the
government, take responsibility for the care of their members.
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In the United States, the banner of "family values" has been used by the US political right to express opposition to abortion, pornography, non-abstinence sex education, divorce, LGBTQ validity, same-sex marriage, feminism, gender diversity, secularism, and atheism. American conservative groups have made successful inroads promoting these policies in Africa since the early 2000s, describing them as African family values.
The phrase family values originated with the 1992 Republican National Convention, for their "Family Values Night", featuring Barbara Bush as the keynote speaker. In the short term the phrase was widely panned, and at the time the staying power of the idea was underestimated.
Family values by region
Arabic culture
Interpretations of learnings and Arab culture are common for the majority of Saudi people. Islam is a driving cultural force that dictates a submission to the will of Allah.
The Saudi family includes extended families, as the extended family provides the individual with a sense of identity. The father is often the breadwinner and protector of the family, whereas the mother is often the homemaker and the primary caretaker of the children.
United States culture
In sociological terms, nontraditional families make up the majority of American households.
Organizations
These groups are associated with "family values". Many of them are also listed as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a result of their anti-LGBT activism.
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American Family Association
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Family Research Council
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Family Research Institute
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Focus on the Family
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Traditional Values Coalition
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World Congress of Families
Further reading
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Bennett, William J. (ed.) (1997). The Book of Virtues for Young People: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories (illustrated, reprint). Simon and Schuster. .
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Bork, Robert H. (2010). Slouching towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline (revised edition). HarperCollins. .
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Stephanie Coontz (1992). The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap (illustrated, reprinted ed.). Basic Books. .
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Stephanie Coontz (2008). The Way We Really Are: Coming to Terms with America's Changing Families. Basic Books. .
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Stephanie Coontz (ed.) (2013). American Families: A Multicultural Reader (2nd edition, revised). Routledge. .
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Stephanie Coontz (2006). Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage. Penguin. .
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Gairdner, William Douglas (2007). The War Against the Family: A Parent Speaks Out on the Political, Economic, and Social Policies That Threaten Us All. BPS Books. .
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Good, Deirdre (2006). Jesus' Family Values. Church Publishing Inc. .
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Ben Shapiro (2005). Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism is Corrupting Our Future. Regnery. .
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Stacey, Judith (1996). In the Name of the Family: Rethinking Family Values in the Postmodern Age (reprint). Beacon Press. .
