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On May
2 and 3, 2002, the Institute held two days of meetings, attended
by experts from the Stanford community as well as other institutions,
that mark the beginning of the second forum in the Difficult
Dialogues series, entitled "The Changing Structure of
the Family." This forum, which follows the first Difficult
Dialogues forum held during 2000 and 2001, titled "Aging
in the 21st Century," is the continuation of the program
created by former Institute Director Laura Carstensen. This
forum aims to help individuals and policy makers understand
key issues and formulate more informed and more pointed questions
about social and cultural support for families. The rationale
is simple and straightforward. Most of the public policies
about family in America are based on family demographics from
30-40 years ago, demographics that no longer reflect current
realities of American family life. The "family"
program was developed to establish a direct link between recognized
experts on the family and the general public. It is founded
on the belief that individuals' choices and public policies
will be improved when we get the facts straight.
The "family" forum again brings together a panel
of experts from Stanford and elsewhere to explore the critical
issues facing families in our society and includes nationally
recognized scholars.
The
panel will consider the changing cultural and social conditions
that affect both the perception and the reality of the American
family. The evolution of the family from a traditional nuclear
unit to a set of groups with varying biological, financial,
social, gender and ethnic bonds is not inherently problematic.
However, it does pose profound challenges to policy makers
as well as to families that do not fit the tacit assumptions
on which policies have been based. Controversy exists regarding
such basic issues as the adequacy of certain kinds of parents,
and legal conundrums seem inherent in every biomedical advance
that affects families. It is essential to understand the ways
in which policies differentially influence women, men and
children and will support, or, perhaps will not support, current
configurations of a "family." More than ever, there
is a need for policy makers to make informed decisions and
develop effective policies.
Through its process and its concluding report, the "family"
forum seeks to ensure that national dialogues are shaped by
empirical findings rather than by stereotypes and misconceptions.
Questions and issues that will be covered include: demographics
of the 21st century family, the definition of "family,"
adoption, single parenthood, surrogacy, infertility, daycare,
welfare reform, just to name a few.
This Difficult Dialogues "Family Forum" is being
sponsored by Michelle R. Clayman, Leslie and George Hume,
The Louise and Claude Rosenberg, Jr. Family Foundation, The
Zellerbach Family Fund, and Stanford University's Office of
the President, Office of the Provost, and Office of the Vice
Provost, Dean of Research and Graduate Policy. See
biographical introductions of all the "Family Forum"
Difficult Dialogues Fellows inside this issue, pages 6 thru
9.
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