Abstract

Son elli yılda giderek artan sayıda araştırma, modernleşme ve sosyoekonomik gelişmenin farklı toplumlarda aile değişimini nasıl şekillendirdiğini incelemektedir. Klasik Modernleşme Kuramı, sanayileşme ve artan refahın geleneksel aile bağlarını zayıflatarak toplumları bireyci Batı tipi çekirdek aile modeline yakınlaştıracağını öne sürerken, Aile Değişim Kuramı, modernleşmenin, aile değerlerinin ve kuşaklararası ilişkilerin sürekliliğine katkıda bulunabilecek köklü dinî gelenekler de dâhil olmak üzere kültürel bağlamla etkileşim içinde gerçekleştiğini ve artan özerkliğin kalıcı duygusal karşılıklı bağımlılıkla bir arada var olabileceğini savunmaktadır. Bu sistematik derleme, modernleşme sürecindeki toplumlarda aile değişimine ilişkin ampirik bulguları sentezlemeyi ve bu bulguların söz konusu iki kuramsal çerçeveyi ne ölçüde desteklediğini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. PRISMA yönergeleri doğrultusunda, önceden belirlenmiş dâhil etme ve dışlama ölçütleri kullanılarak Web of Science veri tabanında tarama gerçekleştirilmiştir. Uygunluk açısından değerlendirilen 139 tam metin çalışma arasından seçme ölçütlerini karşılayan 47 çalışma; incelenen aile boyutları, temel bulguları ve kuramsal çıkarımları doğrultusunda karşılaştırmalı olarak sentezlenmiştir. Bulgular, sosyoekonomik gelişmenin artan bireysel özerklik ve kendini ifade etme ile azalan maddi karşılıklı bağımlılıkla ilişkili olduğu görüşüne önemli ölçüde destek sağlamakta ve Klasik Modernleşme Kuramının temel öngörülerini genel olarak desteklemektedir. Bununla birlikte, farklı sosyoekonomik ve kültürel bağlamlardan elde edilen kanıtlar, gelişmenin kaçınılmaz olarak bireyci Batı tipi aile modeline yakınsamaya yol açtığı görüşünü desteklememektedir. Bunun yerine, artan özerklik ve azalan maddi karşılıklı bağımlılığın kalıcı duygusal bağlar, ailecilik ve kuşaklararası dayanışmayla bir arada var olabileceği görülmektedir; bu örüntü Aile Değişim Kuramı ve onun duygusal karşılıklı bağımlılık modeliyle genel olarak tutarlıdır. Çocuğun Değeri araştırma programından elde edilen bulgular da modernleşmenin aile bağlarını basitçe zayıflatmak yerine ebeveyn-çocuk ilişkilerini ekonomik bağımlılıktan duygusal bağlılığa doğru dönüştürdüğüne işaret etmektedir. Genel olarak bulgular, aile değişiminin kültürden bağımsız tek bir gelişim çizgisi izlemediğini; bunun yerine sosyoekonomik gelişme ile kültürel sürekliliğin etkileşimiyle şekillenen, bağlama bağlı çoklu gelişim yolları izlediğini göstermektedir. Bu kültürel sürekliliğin bir boyutunu, tarihsel olarak kökleşmiş dinî geleneklerin aile değerleri ve kuşaklararası ilişkiler üzerindeki süregelen etkisi oluşturmaktadır.

Abstract

Over the past five decades, a growing body of research has examined how modernization and socioeconomic development shape family change across diverse societies. Classical Modernization Theory predicts that industrialization and rising prosperity weaken traditional family ties and promote convergence toward the individualistic Western nuclear family model, whereas Family Change Theory argues that modernization interacts with cultural context—including historically rooted religious traditions that may contribute to the persistence of family values and intergenerational relationships—allowing increasing autonomy to coexist with enduring emotional interdependence. This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on family change in modernizing societies and evaluates the extent to which it supports these two theoretical frameworks. Following PRISMA guidelines, studies were identified through Web of Science using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of 139 full-text records assessed for eligibility, 47 studies met the selection criteria and were comparatively synthesized according to the family dimensions examined, principal findings, and theoretical implications. The findings provide substantial support for the proposition that socioeconomic development is associated with increasing individual autonomy and self-expression and declining material interdependence, broadly supporting the core predictions of Classical Modernization Theory. However, evidence across diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts does not support the proposition that development inevitably produces convergence toward an individualistic Western family model. Instead, increasing autonomy and declining material interdependence can coexist with enduring emotional bonds, familism, and intergenerational solidarity, a pattern broadly consistent with Family Change Theory and its emotional interdependence model. Findings from the Value of Children research program further indicate that modernization shifts parent–child relationships from economic dependence toward emotional relatedness rather than simply weakening family ties. Overall, family change appears to follow multiple context-dependent pathways shaped by the interplay between socioeconomic development and cultural continuity, including the enduring influence of historically rooted religious traditions on family values and intergenerational relationships.

Structured Abstract Introduction: The present study evaluates the direction and underlying determinants of family change in modernizing societies by synthesizing empirical evidence from diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts. Specifically, it examines the extent to which the evidence supports the linear, Western-centric assumptions of Classical Modernization Theory or the more culturally grounded framework of Family Change Theory. Classical Modernization Theory proposes a unidirectional transition from traditional, collectivist, and extended family structures toward an autonomous and emotionally detached Western nuclear family model as societies industrialize and become more prosperous (Goode, 1963; Inkeles, 1977, 1998; Inglehart & Baker, 2000; Inglehart & Welzel, 2005). Within this perspective, economic development is expected to weaken material interdependence, strengthen individual autonomy, and ultimately produce cultural convergence across societies. However, cross-cultural evidence suggests that collectivist values, strong family orientations, and intergenerational ties often persist despite modernization, indicating that socioeconomic change is shaped by enduring historical and cultural legacies (Inglehart & Baker, 2000; Kashima et al., 2009; Zeng & Greenfield, 2015). Family Change Theory (Kağıtçıbaşı, 1985b, 1996a, 2007) addresses this limitation by proposing that modernization interacts with cultural context rather than producing a single developmental trajectory. The theory distinguishes three family models—interdependence, independence, and emotional interdependence—and argues that economic dependence may decline while emotional bonds remain strong and individual autonomy increases. Its central theoretical contribution is the distinction between material and emotional interdependence, demonstrating that autonomy and relatedness are complementary rather than opposing dimensions of family life. Grounded in extensive cross-cultural Value of Children research, the theory further suggests that socioeconomic development reduces the economic value of children while preserving or even strengthening their psychological and emotional value, providing an alternative explanation of family change that integrates economic transformation with cultural continuity (Kağıtçıbaşı, 1996a, 2007, Mayer, 2013). Method: This study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology to systematically examine and synthesize empirical evidence on family structure, family relationships, and family values within the frameworks of Classical Modernization Theory and Family Change Theory. Search strategy: The literature search was conducted exclusively using the Web of Science database. The search aimed to identify empirical studies examining changes in family structure, family relationships, and family values in the context of modernization. The following keywords were searched individually and in various combinations: Family Change Theory, Modernization Theory, family change, modernization, family structure, family relations, socioeconomic development, Value of Children (VOC), Value of Children and Intergenerational Relations (VOC-IR), family values, cultural heritage, cultural change, autonomous-related family model, independent family model, interdependent family model, autonomous self, relational self, autonomous-related self, individualism, collectivism, parenting, parent–child relations, and socialization. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, which provide internationally recognized standards for reporting systematic reviews (Moher et al., 2015). Inclusion criteria: Studies were included in the review if they (a) were published in English in peer-reviewed journals indexed in the Web of Science database, (b) were empirical studies reporting quantitative analyses based on data collected from human participants, (c) examined family change, family structure, family relationships, family values, intergenerational relations, parenting, or related constructs within the context of socioeconomic development, modernization, or cultural change, and (d) provided findings that could be interpreted within the frameworks of Classical Modernization Theory or Family Change Theory. Theoretical papers, review articles, qualitative studies, book chapters, conference proceedings, dissertations, and studies that did not report original empirical data were excluded. The initial search using the selected keywords in the Web of Science database yielded a large number of publications. Following title and abstract screening, 139 studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected for full-text assessment. After the full-text review, studies that were review articles without original data analyses and those not directly related to family change were excluded. Consequently, 47 empirical studies were retained for the final review. Results: The reviewed studies strongly supported the central prediction of Classical Modernization Theory that economic development and participation in modern institutions promote individualism, autonomy, and self-expression while reducing material dependence and traditional collectivist orientations (Hamamura, 2012; Inglehart & Baker, 2000; Santos et al., 2017; Welzel et al., 2003). Nevertheless, modernization did not produce uniform cultural convergence. Societies with comparable economic development frequently maintained distinct family values and relationship patterns shaped by cultural heritage. In collectivist contexts, particularly China, modernization coexisted with intergenerational co-residence, family solidarity, and traditional relational values (Chen & Liu, 2012; Cong & Silverstein, 2011; Gu, 2011; Peng & Hu, 2018). Cultural and family change therefore appeared to result from the interaction between socioeconomic transformation and historical continuity rather than from economic development alone. The Value of Children studies provided the main empirical foundation for Family Change Theory. In less developed settings, children were valued primarily for economic contribution and old-age security, whereas socioeconomic development reduced their economic utility while preserving or increasing their psychological and emotional value (Kağıtçıbaşı, 1982a, 2006; Kağıtçıbaşı & Ataca, 2005). Thus, modernization transformed the nature of parent–child relationships rather than diminishing the importance of children. Although relatively few studies directly tested Family Change Theory, the evidence generally showed that declining economic interdependence does not necessarily weaken emotional closeness, familism, or mutual support (Georgas et al., 2006; Keller et al., 2006; Trommsdorff et al., 2005). Migration, urbanization, and socioeconomic development altered family values and socialization goals without eliminating close relationships (Durgel et al., 2009; Kağıtçıbaşı et al., 2001, 2010). Overall, the findings support the emotional interdependence proposition, although evidence concerning the precise structure and cross-cultural generalizability of this family model remains limited and occasionally inconsistent (van den Heuvel & Poortinga, 1999). Discussion: The findings indicate that Classical Modernization Theory and Family Change Theory explain different but complementary dimensions of family change. Classical Modernization Theory receives strong support for its prediction that modernization -socioeconomic development, urbanization, education, and participation in modern institutions- reduce material interdependence and strengthen individual autonomy. However, its assumption of universal convergence toward the independent Western family model is not consistently supported. Emotional closeness, familism, intergenerational solidarity, and relational orientations often persist despite economic development, demonstrating that modernization does not transform all dimensions of family life in the same direction. Overall, family change appears to reflect a multidimensional interaction between socioeconomic transformation and cultural continuity rather than a linear transition from traditional dependence to Western independence. Family Change Theory therefore offers a more comprehensive account by distinguishing economic independence from emotional relatedness and allowing autonomy and close family ties to coexist. Nevertheless, evidence concerning the precise structure, developmental dynamics, and cross-cultural generalizability of the emotional interdependence model remains limited and inconsistent, requiring further longitudinal and multilevel cross-cultural research.

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