Importance Of Family Life Education

FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION

Introduction

Family life education is a kind of community education, both preventive and educational in nature. Its main intention is to educate the people about the family relationship, functions and how the system can be sustained in a better way. Basically family life education covers the topics like relationships in the family, human development and sexuality, family interactions, family resource management, interpersonal relationships, parenthood, communication, decision making and problem solving and so on. In this review we are mainly focusing on historical as well as present situation of family life education programs both in the west and in India.

Historical development of family life education in the West

The

Historical development of family life education in India

Family has always been foundation of Indian society from the origin of Indian society itself. The recent phenomenon of globalization and consumerism has created diversity of family and household shapes. In India family life education program known by several alternative names such as sex education, value education, pre marital counseling, reproductive health education and mother and child education. India’s family and child welfare policies focused on health care, nutrition, reproductive health and venereal diseases and it has a very little focus on relationship focused family life education programs.

According to the studies of Shetty and Kwoli in 2001 Family Planning Association of India was the first government body to bring a family life education program in India.

Changing trends of Indian

The wife now has a greater power in affairs of her home and in decision-making. Parental authority over children has reduced. Children enjoy more freedom to choose their lives, and are consulted in decision-making process. The changing trends also affected the traditional value system of the family like respect for the old and the elderly, care and concern for the weak and the needy, co-operation, service etc, are being replaced by modern values of individual freedom, personal lives, non¬-interference and so on.

Features of Family life education programs

Family life education is relevant to both individuals and family across their life span. Since it is preventive in nature all the programs will be focusing on the well being of individual and family. It is basically multidisciplinary in area of study and multi-professional in practice. Its approach is educational rather than therapeutic.

The education or training will be based on by understanding of the stage, in which they are going through. The eight stages according to Duvall, 1971, are:-

I: Married couples without