Families are calling for healthy, positive, and responsible men-Family changes and male responsibility

Families are calling for healthy, positive, and responsible men.

Liu Ying, researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The family is the closest micro-environment a person can experience. Everyone lives within a family. Home is not only a shelter from the elements, but also the origin of human life, the foundation for growth, and a place where one can nurture their spirit and cultivate emotions. For an individual, home is a symbol of safety and warmth, an important place for shaping character and cultivating sentiments. The family is also the source of happiness and unhappiness. Therefore, people have high expectations for their families; both men and women desire a warm and happy home. Everyone wants to be close to others, to feel important in their eyes, to be able to rely on them when needed, and to feel safe. The ability to love and be loved-this intimate relationship-is crucial to people's happiness and well-being. This intimate relationship can only be truly fulfilling within the family, bringing greater happiness.

I recently read a report about how young people in the West are seeking a balance between career and family. It discussed how young business managers are giving new meaning to career success, focusing not only on their future prospects but also on family, friends, and leisure. Many working Americans feel exhausted and stressed. They want to find a balance between work and time for themselves and their families, saying that this balance clearly impacts work performance. According to a 1999 survey by the Emnid Institute for Market and Social Problems in Germany, young Germans considered family the most important area, ranking it first, followed by friendship, health, and love. This illustrates that in a post-industrial society, amidst the stress of modern, high-tech life, people need leisure, friends, and family. Currently, my country is still in the primary stage of socialism and is a developing country. Rapid economic and scientific and technological development is needed, requiring continued hard work.

However, the tide of reform and opening up has impacted families and people's lifestyles and attitudes, bringing the question of how to strike a balance between career, life, and family to the forefront. Lately, we often hear people say, "Men are tired, men are troubled." Now we are discussing men's health and men's participation in family planning. I believe that caring about men's health is extremely important because human society is composed of both men and women, and men's health is related to human development. Men's participation in family planning is something that women and families all hope for.

We now advocate establishing a comprehensive health concept, which includes physical health, mental health, and social resilience. I believe that among current men's health issues, physical health problems exist, but a more widespread issue is our lack of medical and health knowledge related to men. There's an advertisement for male enhancement drugs that says men say "it's nothing" when they're tired or sick. This is quite true. We should strengthen the promotion of theories and knowledge about men's physical health so that the whole society cares about men's physical health. At the same time, we must also care about men's mental health and social resilience. I believe that current social life has a significant impact on men's mental health, especially on those with lower social resilience. And poor mental health can easily lead to poor physical health. There's much to say about this. I'll only offer some thoughts from the perspective of the relationship between current family life needs and men's health. In the past 20 years, my country's social and economic development has undergone rapid and dramatic changes. Families have also undergone many changes, which, in a sense, have placed higher demands on people, especially men. As mentioned earlier, the family is very important to people, and whether one can enjoy the happiness and well-being that the family provides depends on how much and what one gives to the family. Some men today have a poor sense of responsibility towards their families, even taking pride in being "people who don't go home." Of course, the vast majority of men still cherish their families. Based on my research into current changes in Chinese families, there are many issues that men particularly need to pay attention to. I will discuss the following points:

1. The trend towards smaller and more nuclear family structures, coupled with weakened kinship constraints and support, places higher demands on men's sense of responsibility towards their families. The trend towards smaller and more nuclear family structures is a major trend in the changing family structure in my country. A 1999 survey showed that small families (commonly known as husband-and-wife families, nuclear families, and single-parent families) accounted for 63%, more than half; while extended families (three generations living together) accounted for only 37%. Traditional Chinese families are characterized by large families, especially those with three generations living together. In these families, there is mutual constraint and support, and kinship ties are strong, allowing for the fulfillment of most family needs within the family. With the trend towards smaller and more nuclear families, internal family relationships decrease, constraints lessen, and cohesion strengthens. However, the resources available within the family decrease, and mutual support also diminishes. Therefore, both husband and wife must share the responsibility of supporting the family. Men bear a heavier burden of family responsibility, needing to attend to the needs of the family, not only their wives but also the needs and health of the elderly and children. In reality, the demand for men's involvement in family life is increasing in contemporary families.

2. Shift in Family Center. Historically, Chinese families were centered on the father and son, with patriarchal and husband-dominated authority at their core. In such families, wives had no status; they were seen as reproductive tools and domestic slaves, without the right to participate in social labor, and economically dependent on their husbands. The women's liberation movement and the concept of gender equality freed women from feudal shackles, granting them equal rights with men in politics, law, education, and the economy. Decades of social practice have made gender equality a national policy in my country. The family center has shifted. Currently, Chinese families are centered on the husband and wife, with the family axis shifting from the father-son relationship to the husband-wife relationship. In modern families, wives are just as productive as husbands. In cities, most families are dual-income households. With the economic development brought about by reform and opening up, competition in the market economy is fierce, and both men and women bear the pressure of social competition. The era of men earning money while women stayed home to "support their husbands and raise children" is over. Women now bear a heavier burden of social work and housework. Many people engaged in high-tech, high-level economic management, and other similar professions have little time for their families, and their wives are often even busier. The gradual realization of gender equality has, in a sense, alleviated the pressures on men and liberated them. However, traditional male chauvinism still haunts people like a shadow. This necessitates a change in men's perspectives, a re-examination of marital relationships, and a deeper understanding of the essence and characteristics of marriage. Couples must work together to build and manage their families well.