The Perception of Family in Israel and the United States

Abstract

Social changes in recent years have led to a broadening of the definition of family. The perception of the concept of family among the American public was assessed in 2003 and 2006 by means of the Family Perception Scale, which found that the respondents fell into three clusters, dubbed Exclusionists, Moderates, and Inclusionists. Based on a sample of adult Jewish population in Israel (N = 1,518), this study examined whether these categories could apply to the Israeli public too, and if so, whether the distribution of these clusters were the same as in the United States. The study’s findings confirm that while this classification is well suited to the perception of family in Israel, the distribution of the three clusters differs from that in the United States. These findings may indicate that while global influences promote similar views of family structures, local influences may result in different cluster distribution patterns in each society.

Generation V: Millennial Vegans in Israel

“…As part of giving up their aspirations to live a middle-class life, Israeli vegan millennials are also reconsidering the expectation that they start a family. Israel is a family-oriented society, with locals marrying earlier, having more children, divorcing less, and having fewer children out of wedlock than their Western counterparts (Birenbaum-Carmeli 2009; Fogiel-Bijaoui and Rutlinger-Reiner 2013; Gavriel-Fried and Shilo 2017). My interviewees, however, framed their decisions about starting a family in terms of their veganism, which led some to realize that the world is not a safe place to raise children.…”

Invisible children and non-essential workers: Child protection during COVID-19 in Israel according to policy documents and media coverage

“…Although collaborating with families, and especially parents, is perceived as effective for child protection worldwide (e.g., Munro, 2011 ), for the Israeli CPS it is of crucial importance. Israeli society, although heavily influenced by Western culture, is still relatively collectivist and traditional regarding family ties ( Gavriel-Fried & Shilo, 2017 ; Sulimani-Aidan, 2020 ). The family is socially seen as central to the individual's life, and correspondingly, CPS considers family relationships a top priority.…”

Using chi-squared automatic interaction detection modelling to identify student opinion profiles regarding same-sex couples as a family structure

“…The diverse way in which families are formed may be related to the choices made by citizens, with these varying as a function of their desires or circumstances. For this reason, one single model of the ideal family does not exist, with a considerable number of classifications and typologies instead being available ( Powell et al., 2010 ; Gavriel-Fried and Shilo, 2017 ). In the present day, families can be seen with a wide array of typologies with regards to structure and organization, with each acting in different ways in their daily lives.…”

“…On the one hand, this is due to the unfavourable position of homosexual couples and, on the other hand, to the traditional view of the family. Thus, the image of same-sex families represents a challenge to traditional models of parenting ( Gavriel-Fried and Shilo, 2017 ; Robaldo, 2011 ).…”