 Dear students, in this module, we are going to discuss changes in family patterns across the globe. So changes in the family patterns are not limited to the developed countries only. We can see that these changes are, although they are flowing from the developed countries, but they are also impacting the developing countries and low income countries. In many parts of the world, families are becoming smaller and more nuclear in the form of urbanization and economic development increases. So this overall impact, which has the biggest impact on media, globalization, economic policies, due to which the western ideology is becoming more and more effective on non-western countries and even in non-western countries, changes are being observed in the same way, such as in developed countries or western countries. The major changes we are seeing are on the pattern of the family, especially on the marriage patterns and the divorce patterns. Along with this, we are seeing that families are becoming more and more converted from extended families to a nuclear family system. And gender-based segregation, gender-based win-off labor, we can see a clear change in that. Now both husband and wife are working and the effect of that is also visible on the children's education. So overall, your family structure, the global changes are also reflecting in your low income countries. However, cultural and religious factors can also have a significant impact on family structure and values. So the biggest resisting factor regarding modernization or modern ideology, which is understood as religion, is a very interesting contestation that how modern values are trying to alter the structure of the family and at the same time, the religious values or your tradition are resisting it. So in Pakistan, you will often see situations where modern values or traditional values try to coexist within any family unit. So in such situations, fights are born and because of these fights, the family unit disintegrates. For example, arranged marriage is still common in many parts of South Asia and Middle East. Even in Pakistan, arranged marriage is still common, but arranged marriage is not particularly liked by young people, especially urban youth or educated youth. They prefer that they would marry based on their personal choices. Poverty, conflict and displacement can also have a significant impact on family structure and dynamics, with increasing number of children growing up in orphanages or institutional care. So a big effect that arises from such an economic system in which gender-based viewing of labour is not present, is the effect that you see on the children's socialization and education. For example, if there is no one available at home, there will be daycare centers for them. And the way third-party institutions are trained, they will not be relatively of the quality of education or socialization that is available within their family unit. The spread of Western cultural values, including individualism and consumerism, is also impacting the family patterns in many parts of the world. So this overall impact in which consumerism is playing a big role, for us, the purpose of life becomes consumption, we should earn more money, and we should be able to spend more on that money. This life ideology has a significant impact on your family system, on the ideology of the family institution, and especially on the gender-based viewing of labour, this also has a significant impact on it. Food for thought for you, you should see how in Pakistan, the global ideology, the Western ideology has an impact and an effect on the family unit.