Maria Antonia Bel Bravo, Professor of Modern History at the University of Jaen, presented at the II Interdisciplinary Conference on the Family held at the University of Navarra. The Institute for Culture and Society, as directed by the Vice President for Research, organized the event.

What changes has the family experienced in recent decades?

In recent decades, women’s incorporation into the labor market has been a very important factor in the evolution of the family. Women have become part of a market with parameters constructed by and for men. Since then, women continue caring for the home, but with excessive working hours, presenting a number of issues that cannot be reconciled.

What challenges does the family face today?

I would summarize them into three categories, including balance, economic incentives for children, and a maternal salary. Some of these proposals are already a reality in northern European countries.

The great challenge facing today's society is balancing work life with family life. This is a difficult issue, but we must start addressing the topic of work schedules. One proposal relates to job sharing, with two women hired for the same job, one covering the morning shift and the other covering the afternoon shift so that each can devote the rest of their day to their families. Many are taken aback by propositions like this, but they are necessary.

What about family policies?

We must reward people who have children because, demographically, Spain is aging, as well as the whole of Europe. I therefore advocate a family wage. If a woman prefers to care for her children and work at home, then she should earn a family wage.

This is a controversial proposal because feminists believe that a family wage would incentivize women to return to their homes and things would regress to how they were in previous eras. However, I think that women who want to stay home must be able to do so and for that society and governments should provide a salary because, in the end, they are engaged in education work.  

What new family trends have you observed?

At present, the government is only concerned with getting out of the economic crisis, but they haven’t taken the bull by the horns. The crisis is not just a balance of payments; it also includes every day citizens under great stress because they are not able to reconcile work and family life. It is necessary to promote solid family policy.

Why is the family considered an important factor for social stability?

Many modern thinkers argued that a society is not better than the families that comprise it. Some said so explicitly and others tacitly, but all agreed that if the family does not function, neither will society. This is a fundamental theme in their critiques.

They argued that some trends— like abandoning children in hospices or leaving women at home while men went out to “make America”— eventually destabilized society: women alone, abandoned or marginalized children... one cannot, therefore, hope for a society that is better than the families that comprise it.

What can we learn from the role the family has played throughout history?

History does not repeat itself, but rather teaches us how to think about problems. It is common knowledge that a well-posed problem is already half solved. Therefore, people who know their history know how to solve problems.

Why is it important to reflect on the family at a conference like this?

One of the biggest advantages of holding conferences on the family is found in bringing together people working in the same fields of research. Although they do not always agree on everything, they get a chance to exchange opinions, which is always enriching.