Family values have for long been a crucial piece in the puzzle of our identities. Various surface level values differ across families based on religion, culture and traditions but some basics are intrinsically important to holding the familial structures together.
Depending on the social structures families are created in, they define roles, power dynamics, moral values and obligations. That is, a family in patriarchal societies is bound to reduce women to their reproductive abilities and push them to conform to the role of being a mother, nurturer and managing household chores. Alongside, pushing men to be the sole "bread winner", gain the more dominant position to make important decisions driven by financial capabilities. In some cases, limiting individuals to obligations they have towards different members in the family.
These also include structures that determine who can be part of a family. General images of families in societies are of heterosexual couples having children, taking care of them, "forwarding their lineage". Thus, disenfranchising homosexual couples in societies to start their own families.
But, familial constructs extend to far more intrinsic values such as being grateful to your parents, respecting your elders, taking care of the young ones--> making families a common support structure in various societies.
How does all of this impact social, economic and political fronts?
Social
Because families mean a great deal to individuals, its values become important to uphold. The question then is, what values can we distance ourselves from and which ones can we embrace?
To forward certain gender minorities in society- patriarchal, heteronormative ideals become a barrier. For LGBTQIA+ couples to be accepted socially, their choice to marry, to have children or not is a question of what familial structures do we want to hold on to and propagate as a society.
If the only thing crucial to holding families together is respect, care and love--> all these aspects are achievable by all members of society and conforming to these is possible. Some would also argue that valuing acceptance from your parents is hard for members of the LGBTQIA+ community owning to the conservative nature of families but understanding the importance that this acceptance from their parents holds for these individuals, significant discourse can be generated if we believe that parents ought to love their children no matter what.
Secondly, if the idea of families is non-specific to gender roles, sexual and gender identities of the parents, integrating familial values becomes far easier. A social structure that promotes mothers to work jobs, fathers to take paternity leaves, or for non-heteronormative couples to adopt children, or have IVF babies would be achievable.
Economic
Since women in various familial constructs, since a young age are required to learn to manage household chores, take care of the parents--> the choice to educate them, provide them with a platform to get jobs is rare. Devaluing the patriarchal structure for women solely to be mothers, housewives, "unpaid nannies" would give them the space to actively lobby for better education, working post marriages in order to access greater economic capital.
Here, social change directly translates to economic benefits.
In the case of other gender minorities, social acceptance by their parents, to not be shunned from society would also enable them to receive a formal education, not be rejected from employment, experience a safer workplace environment.
Political
In political spheres, familial values advocate for a welfare system where families, rather than the government, take responsibility for the care of their members.
Values such as the obligation of parents to care for their children and in turn children owing an obligation to care for their parents in their old age has served for a base of filial responsibility laws.
But, in various instances, the banner of family values has been used by social conservatives to express opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, civil unions, and certain specific feminist objectives in politics.
What can change?
Given that familial constructs have been one of the constraints when we talk about structural barriers that oppress gender minorities--> aiming to alter the social narrative of what family values we hold most crucial to us is a medium for social, economic and political change.
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