For decades people have been predicting the decline of the family. But, writes Joel Kotkin in a recent Forbes.com article, the family has in fact become much more important in recent years.
This twist can be traced to demographic shifts, immigration, extended life spans, tough economic conditions and attitude changes among increasingly diverse populations.
Families today are more than just married couples with children living at home. Everything from divorce to immigration and gay marriage is reshaping families, which remain as the central force in communities and the economy.
More than 80% of Americans eventually get married, often after a period of living-together. Later marriages are reflected in later child-rearing. Younger women today may be less likely to have kids, but over the past quarter century, the number of women over 35 that have children has more than tripled.
This trend is accelerating
People continue to value the stability and cohesion that families can provide. Far more children are likely to live with at least one parent now than a generation ago. Studies show that family counts more than money when people make decisions about where to live.
As people live longer and have children later, family ties get stronger. Grandparents are now playing a much larger role in family life, as financial supporters and as sources of reliable child care. Living with or being close to grandparents is particularly important for younger Americans, many of whom are struggling to raise families.
Institutionalised care for the elderly, once seen as inevitable, has dropped in the last few decades, as more families have ageing parents move in with them to avoid nursing homes.
Then there are the ‘millennials’. Americans born since 1982 enjoy better relationships with their parents. Many stay in touch regularly, weekly or even daily. Many 13 to 24-year-olds consider time spent with family a great source of happiness, rating it even higher than time spent with friends.
The current tough economic conditions are strengthening close, long-term ties between children and parents. High university debts, high home prices and a tough job market all extend strong family dependence well into adulthood. For millions, severe economic pressures are making the family the ultimate ‘safety net’.
Many people are finding out there is one institution that really can be counted on: the family.
Safety and security – new web portal launched
Most of today’s automation and control systems use the same PC hardware, operating systems and communications as broadly deployed personal, corporate and administrative networks. The increasing use of wireless to monitor, control and interconnect industrial control systems is introducing additional safety and security vulnerabilities.
Industrial control systems are used to manufacture everything, from automobiles and pharmaceuticals, to controlling electricity, oil and water. Securing these systems is a challenge. They often have time critical performance requirements – standard IT security technology can impact timing and inhibit system performance. It is difficult to balance performance, reliability, safety and security.
Malicious security breaches, and attacks from outside intruders, are rapidly growing threats for automation systems. Employees and ex-employees may be involved in theft and retaliation. And there are ‘hackers’ who may do it just for the thrill, or vandals and opportunistic criminals (including terrorists).
Industrial automation safety and security has become an urgent issue, perhaps even a critical one. This vital industry segment has never received the focused attention it truly deserves.
Recently, a new web portal, Industrial Safety and Security Source (www.isssource.com) has been launched to cover this vital market. This one-stop website caters to safety and security practitioners in industrial automation by offering original content, in addition to aggregated stories from relevant news sources like the Department of Homeland Security’s Control Systems Security Program.
This important new venture was launched by industry veteran and award winning editor Gregory Hale. Greg has been over 25 years in the publishing business, covering manufacturing and industrial automation for the past 11 years as the chief editor of ISA’s InTech magazine.
I have known Gregory Hale for over a decade and respect his judgement, knowledge and abilities. We wish him success in his important new venture www.isssource.com
Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and commentator, writer, technology futurist and angel investor. His popular e-mail newsletter, JimPinto.com eNews, is widely read (with direct circulation of about 7000 and web-readership of two to three times that number). His areas of interest are technology futures, marketing and business strategies for a fast-changing environment, and industrial automation with a slant towards technology trends.
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