12:41 p.m., March 16, 2010----The world is experiencing a fundamental global restructuring of social life, says Bahira Sherif Trask, professor and associate chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Delaware. Her newest book takes a look at how this is happening as the world is becoming increasingly interconnected.

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The book, Globalization and Families: Accelerated Systemic Social Change, examines the linkages between globalization and gender identities, work-family relationships, and conceptualizations of children, youth and the elderly.

Trask said she wanted to look at globalization from this fresh perspective, since the phenomenon is most often associated with economics and politics and not as frequently mentioned in the context of social and cultural issues.

Trask defines globalization as a process in which individuals of different cultural backgrounds are interacting with each other more intensively in all spheres of life as never before, suggesting that people are increasingly being exposed to different ways of thinking, cultural values and new forms of family life.

With the shaping of online communities, the idea of the community has evolved so that it now creates new identities for people around the world. Trask said this exposure to new ideas is happening not only in the West, but also in other areas of the world where people are more restricted with respect to their lifestyle choices.

“Life as we know it is changing, and it's just zooming by,” she said.

Trask said it is imperative that greater cultural understanding is promoted in order to improve the lives of all individuals and their families. While there is much debate on the negative impacts of globalization, more focus should be placed on the notion that globalization could also lead to greater social justice and equality.

“For all of our differences, we do share the human experience,” she said. “Globalization in an increasingly diverse world allows us to see that we're not that different from others. It's this contradiction that makes the topic so worthwhile to research.”

Trask said studying the family is important because it is within the family that major decisions about work, care, movement and identity are negotiated, contested and resolved. Globalization, now more than ever, plays a major role in how families make decisions about these issues, she said.

While Trask said globalization is a phenomenon created through human activity, the impact it has on families is differential, depending on many factors, including where the family lives or its social class.

“If we understand the interaction between globalization and families, we can improve the human condition,” she said. “You can't generalize about this at all.”

An example she uses is changing gender roles and women in the workplace. Around the world, the influx of women into the paid labor force is having a profound impact. In the West, the growing prevalence of women in the workplace is associated with the empowerment of women, while in other areas of the world this is not necessarily the case. Instead, women may not receive the same benefits as men, or they may face risky work conditions.

Trask said globalization can provide the tools for individuals to mobilize and get their agenda heard worldwide, in order to benefit those who may need help. The global campaign against Nike to stop its child labor practices serves as an example of this, she said.

From a social standpoint, Trask said the biggest issues surrounding globalization deal with poverty and inequality. The crux of the debate is whether globalization leads to more opportunities for people, or increasing inequality.

“It's both,” she said. “Globalization can lift people out of poverty, but the inequalities between groups get stronger.”

Another significant issue that results from globalization from a social point of view revolves around education and how people are prepared to be successful. Trask points out that today's workforce includes jobs that are much more skill-intensive, and many educational systems around the world are antiquated and ill prepared to equip students for the types of jobs that are needed in a globalized world.

Much of the research leading to the conclusions in the book has been funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Trask's involvement in these projects reflects her belief that it is incumbent on academics to share their knowledge in a practical manner that will help improve societal conditions and promote civic advancement.

Article by Jon Bleiweis