New research from Real Insurance has revealed huge changes in the way Australians think about families, with 76.6% of respondents thinking family values are now different compared to 10 years ago and 78.1% believing that society’s views on what makes a family have also changed.
The national survey found that a majority of Australians have ditched “traditional” family stereotypes. A massive 70.2% of Australians no longer see the need for parents to stay together if they’re unhappy in their relationship, and 65.7% no longer expect men to be the family breadwinner. Victorians were found to be the most pleased that the stereotype of men being the breadwinners has dwindled, at 65.7%.
Also falling out of fashion were well-defined gender roles (56.8%) and the idea that children should only speak when spoken to (61.6%), the survey revealed.
Some traditional family values remain important for many Australians, with 41.5% of respondents saying unconditional love and spending time together are still important because they bring families together (42.1%) and keep people morally grounded (28%). Not everyone shares the opinion though, with 38.4% of respondents saying family values are less important today due to changes in society (47.8%) and the belief that traditions are becoming outdated (22.7%).
When it comes to marriage, 42.4% of those surveyed believe it’s no longer important for couples to be married before having children.
Differing opinions arise when it comes to the perfect family size, with 55.4% choosing two as the ideal number of children and 19.3% saying it’s three. For Western Australians, 63.7% think two children is the perfect family size and 16.6% said it’s three.
Opinions also varied when it comes to the perfect age to have children, with those who are already parents saying 27 is the right age to bear children, while prospective parents said it’s 31. Australians have also become more accepting of those who decide to be child-free, with 79.9% of respondents saying this is more acceptable in today’s society.
For non-parents who decided to remain child-free, they said the decision was affected by such factors as the impact of children on finances and lifestyle freedom, as well as overpopulation and future security crises.
The Real Insurance survey also explored the impact of technology to modern-day Australian families.
Findings showed that 49.8% believe social media can help children gain a global perspective, 37.9% believe it encourages interest in new things, and 33% think it promotes creativity. Most also said that tech and social media also connect geographically distanced families (85.7%) and promote the importance of connection and caring for others (61.1%).
Nearly half of the respondents (47.3%) said tech and social media are having an impact on the family value system, with 89.3% expressing concern that they expose children to negative values, and 88.9% saying they provide distraction from quality family time.
Streaming services, TV and film (76.4%) were identified as the biggest culprits when it comes to influencing the shift in family values, with nearly two thirds of respondents saying they’ve drawn focus away from moral or religious values (62.2%) and manners and respect (60.0%), the Real Insurance survey showed.
