MK383_Assignment_2.docx

FAMILIES ACROSS
CULTURES
MK383: Assignment 2
ABSTRACT
There is huge variety in size and composition of families
across the world due to numerous factors such as:
economic well-being, education, political systems,
religion, societal attitudes and so forth… The need for
businesses to identify and understand these differences
is becoming more and more prevalent due to the
globalised world they operate in.
Tom Harris
MK383: Marketing Across Cultures

There is huge variety in size and composition of families across the world due to numerous factors
such as: economic well-being, education, political systems, religion, societal attitudes and so forth.
The need for businesses to identify and understand these differences is becoming more and more
imperative due to the globalised world they operate in. Even though organisations operate in many
different countries they cannot sell their one product under a ‘one-size fits-all’ mantra – the product
must be designed and marketed accordingly. For example, IKEA had 62 different versions of their
catalogue in 2012 to market themselves according to cultural standards. One of these versions
received widespread criticism when women were ‘photoshopped’ out of ads in the Saudi Arabian
version and this negatively impacted their share price (Clark, 2012) and highlights perfectly why a
business must be fully understanding of different cultures and the roles of people within them i.e.
the role of family.
Some say the role of family is in crisis, some have predicted the death of ‘the family’ (Cooper, 1971)
others believe its undergoing transformation due to economic and social changes but will remain an
‘important social institution’). It’s predicted that there will be an inevitable convergence, the non-
Western extended family types will shift towards Western nuclear family types (Georgas, et al. 2006).
This paper will aim to explore differences between ‘the family’ in Britain and Pakistan.
Families in each particular country differ greatly too, none more so than in Britain where a large
influx of migrants throughout history has led to a multicultural and diverse society. However, for the
purpose of this paper I will focus mainly upon a Christian/Atheist family as this accounts for 84.4% of
the population (ONS, 2012) with some reference to sub-communities such as the Bangladeshi
community.
The typical British family is nuclear in structure (Goode, 1963; Millar & Warman, 1996). This is
defined as a married couple at its core, with the addition of biological children only (Farrell, 1999;
Farrell, et al. 2012). According to (Lewis, 2000) 70% of families consist of children living with both of
their parents, however this is a declining trend - from 1961 until 1999 there was a 15% drop in
households of this type. Whilst the number of unmarried or divorced one-parent family households
more than trebled (Goodwin, et al., 2006) this is likely to be as a result of social attitudes – the UK
has moved away from traditional beliefs regarding divorce and it’s now far more accepted:
“My parents are divorced, mum and dad, no siblings, three step siblings (two from dads new partner,
one from mums) and a step parent on each side.” (Appendix B)
“I think it’s [divorce] really common these days. It’s bad but sometimes can’t be helped. It’s becoming
more of a norm nowadays.” (Appendix B)

The Divorce Reform Act (Act of Parliament, 1969) allowed the ‘irretrievable breakdown of marriage’
to be the sole reason for divorce and subsequently the number of divorces dramatically increased.
As the years have passed and divorce has become more frequent, the social stigma has diminished
(Goodwin, et al. 2006). The rate in the UK is now the highest within the EU at 2.8 divorces per 1000
(Daily Mail, 2014). The same cannot be said for the UK’s sub-communities, for example, in the
Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities divorce is met with severe hostility (Beishon, et al., 1998).
Marriage among the white community is generally left to the individuals and there is therefore less
social pressure from the family. However in British-Asian’s, marriages are frequently arranged by
parents based on religious and social-class lines (Ghuman, 1994; Beishon et al. 1998) and although
there is some degree of choice this may contribute to the lower rates of divorce within these
communities (Goodwin, et al. 1997).
Following marriage, the couple usually find their own, separate place of residence apart from
relatives – neolocal residence (Fox, 1967; Goodwin, et al. 2006). However it’s different in minority
groups (Owen, 1996).
Although a belief in conventional marriage is strong (Dench, 1996; Lewis, 2000) it’s generally
declining and happening later on in life (Goodwin, et al. 2006; ONS, 2013). Furthermore the average
family size in decreasing (Goodwin, et al. 2006), the average number of children per family in the UK
has dropped - from 2.0 in 1971 to 1.8. (ONS, 2013; BBC, 2007)
In the UK the majority of people don’t live in three-generational households. The bond between
parent and child remains strong even when the child leaves home with continual support
throughout their life (Goodwin, et al., 2006) however the extent of this support is affected by
economic and geographical factors (Allan, 1985). McGlone, et al. (1998) claim that contact with the
extended family is on the decline due to increasing geographical distance but is likely to depend on
the presence of children - those with children are more likely to see their relatives.
Millar & Warman (1996) argue that the UK possesses a “gender fault” where an “egalitarian surface
masks gender division”. The majority of Britons express support for labour to be divided in a
“traditional” way (Dench, 1996) and women still do 75% of housework (Goodwin, et al. 2006),
although this is an attitude less popular with people under 30 (Dench, 1996). Ferri & Smith (1996)
found that the number of mothers involved in work outside of the home is increasing - currently
14million (Dugan, 2014; ONS, 2014) but they were still responsible for domestic life – only in 1% of
cases did the Father take the prime role in a dual-earning family (Goodwin, et al. 2006). The work of
(Lewis, 2000) and (Warrin, et al. 1999) further support this traditional stance whereby the Fathers
main role was to provide financial support and the Mothers was to look after children and the home.
“I’d say the man is responsible financially in the typical family” (Appendix C)
“I’d say the Mother should look after the kids. She generally has a closer bond and is more nurturing”
(Appendix D)
Edgell (1980) claims that wives have a growing influence over family decisions but it’s still up to the
husband. Goodwin, et al. (2006) claim that although gender roles have changed, they haven’t as
much as Britons like to think. They describe Britain, as home to a “neo-traditional pattern” in which
both partners are in employment and whilst the female does most of the domestic work she usually
gets help from the male (Mansfield & Collard, 1988)

Relationships – both vertical and horizontal - within the family structure vary greatly and are highly
individualistic (Goodwin, et al. 2006) Finch states “people are treated as unique persons rather than
occupants of positions in a kinship universe” (Finch, 1997).
Zaman, et al. (2006) describe Pakistan as “diverse” but cite 95% of the population’s faith in Islam as
“an important uniting factor”. The Qur’an places great emphasis on family and so has a great effect
upon it which can be seen with regular reference to Islam in appendix E/F/G. It promotes treating
your elders with respect which ensures hierarchical structures are maintained as well as segregation
between genders. The power within the family is based on gender and age. With age, comes wisdom
and expression of negative feelings towards the elders is unacceptable (Zaman, 1992).
The most widespread family structure is an extended one. With three generations including,
grandparents, sons with their wives, siblings and unmarried children under one roof. Therefore one
house may include several cousins being raised together who are referred to as brothers and sisters.
It should be noted that Pakistani culture is both patrilineal and patri-local and so the women join the
male’s residence (Zaman, et al. 2006; Anon., 2010). This coupled with huge stigmatisation regarding
divorce (although legal) means that the rate of divorce is low - but rising, (Inam, 2011) and one-
parent households are extremely rare (Zaman, et al. 2006).
“My family consists of 4 sisters, 3 brothers, Mother, Cousins (Brothers and Sisters too), Grandparents”
(Appendix E)
On the other hand, polygamy is uncommon even though males are permitted up to 4 wives in Islam
(Zaman, et al. 2006) -this is likely to be due to economic constraints as the man is solely responsible
financially (Ahmad, 1982).
“The Pakistani society believes that only the husband should work and provide for the family”
(Appendix F)
There has been a growing trend within the Pakistani family structure. Families described as “modern”
live independently as couples (Zaman, et al. 2006). Kağıtçıbaşı (1996) has identified this in most
collective cultures as a result of increasing “urbanisation and industrialisation”.
Contrary to the individualistic nature in British families (Goodwin, et al. 2006; Finch, 1997) Pakistani
culture is about the collective and so, obedience and family duties hold greater value (Zaman, et al.
2006) whilst parents promote “mutual interdependence” as opposed to “individual autonomy”
(Stewart, et al. 2000) whilst parental control, family honour and social approval are fundamental
(Stewart, et al. 1999). The Father is the chief breadwinner whilst the Mother’s responsibility is all
things domestic. Mother’s in Islam possess a “central role” – the religion teaches that the path to
Paradise is through devotion to her and so she wields great power (Zaman, et al. 2006) and this is
likely why my participants placed great importance on parental dreams instead of their own.
“It is said in Islam that [for] any bad/good deed carried out by a child the consequences fall on the
parents… Heaven lies under your mother’s feet” (Appendix E)
“To make your parents happy and fulfil your duty to them is the best thing you can do in life so you
must strive to fulfil their dreams for you.” (Appendix F)

In conclusion, Britain is moving away from the traditional, nuclear family and towards a neo-
traditional structure which accounts for extramarital and teenage births, divorce and rising
cohabitation (up 5%) (Goodwin, et al. 2006; BBC, 2007). The majority of the population can still be
classified as being “family-centered” but how this family is made up is unique – “Britain is
characterised by its diversity in structure and functions” (Goodwin, et al. 2006) Similarly, Pakistani
culture is based around family however this comes in the form of an extended, three-generational
set up whereby “interrelatedness… takes(s) precedence over autonomy and independence” (Zaman,
et al. 2006).
Families in both cultures are in a state of flux as Charlie Lewis states. The “changeability of families is
likely to increase” (Westhead, 2007) and the change is likely to be the “norm, not the exception”
(Lewis, C. as cited by Westhead, 2007). Professor Lewis claims economic factors such as affordability
are critical in determining the future of families (Lewis, C. as cited by Westhead, 2007).
“I think due to people having less money and the Government cutting benefits more people will think
to wait and start families later” (Appendix F)
As families, because of economic constraints, become smaller, multinational companies must react –
for example in Britain, a family with less mouths to feed is more likely to conduct a branded shop as
opposed to bulk-buying low-cost, inferior products such as Sainsbury’s basics and therefore position
themselves accordingly. In addition to this understanding where the buyer power and decision-
making lies within a family means that companies can market themselves to appeal to that person.
For example a car company knowing that males in both Pakistan and Britain possess major decision
making responsibilities may opt to advertise the fuel efficiency and gadgets of the vehicle instead of
the aesthetics and safety. Furthermore shrinking families in the UK may contribute to a decline in
the family car so they may choose to produce smaller, compact vehicles. In Pakistan, a legal firm may
now be able to seize a market gap by extending its range of services in response to rising divorce
rates by offering, mediation, counselling and annulments. Ultimately, understanding families allows
businesses to be proactive and more likely to be successful in the future as they are the most
important social institution. “Cross-cultural competence is at the crux of today’s sustainable
competitive advantage” (Hummel, 2012)

References
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Appendices
Appendix A: Illustration of nuclear and extended family types
Extended family

Appendix B: UK Questionnaire (1)

Appendix C: UK Questionnaire (2)

Appendix D: UK Questionnaire (3)

Appendix E: Pakistan Questionnaire (1)

Appendix F: Pakistan Questionnaire (2)

Appendix G: Pakistan Questionnaire (3)

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