Society Trend:
Traditional families rapidly changing, "TONK" system -Two Only, No Kids increasing
By Shin Hae-in, Seoul
-Fewer retirees want to live with their children, prefer to stay in own homes-
Shin Han-yong, a 59-year-old businessman, is planning to live by himself once his two sons get married. He has been lonely since his wife died last April, but thinks living together with either of his sons would cause too much trouble.
"I know that my future daughters-in-law wouldn't like the idea of living with an old and single father-in-law," said Shin. "And I hate the thought of my sons hassling over which one is responsible for taking care of me."
Since he has enough money on which to live until he dies, he is planning to spend the latter part of his life by himself, in peace, he said.
Until recently, it was common for Korean sons and daughters - especially sons - to support their parents by living together with them after marriage. Under the Korean ideology of filial piety, it was considered a duty.
With the so-called "silver population" of people over 65 growing, experts point out the dangers if older people suffering from poverty and illness are abandoned by their children.
By 2019, those older than 65 will comprise 14 percent of the population, and the figure will jump to 20 percent in 2026, according to the National Statistical Office in Seoul.
But recent research shows that it is not only the younger generation that wants to break away from the old rules of filial piety. Many older people like Shin are willing to adjust to the change, and want their children to form separate family units after marriage.
The National Statistical Office announced earlier this month that more than 50 percent of a surveyed 10,000 citizens aged over 65 do not want to live with their children in the future. This is a big leap from the 27 percent who wished to live separately from their children in 2002.
In fact, the actual number of older people living by themselves has more than doubled during the last 10 years.
A new term has been created to describe these older people who wish to enjoy the latter part of their lives away from their children, spending their life savings on various leisure activities. They are described as "TONK" -Two Only, No Kids.
With such drastic changes occurring in the traditional family-. there was an interesting poll in 2002 of people in their 20s to 40s by the local research group Insight Research.
According to this research, people who were on good terms with their parents were more positive about living with them in the future. But interestingly, those who had grown up in large families that included grandparents living at home were negative.
The research group had expected people from large families to be comparatively positive about living with parents, said Kim Min-hyung, a staff member who participated in the research.
"But seeing the result, we concluded that large families were no longer suitable for current society," Kim said. "Many said that it was especially difficult to live together with parents once their own children are born. The generation gap can end up ruining the whole family."
A woman who participated in the poll said that "ideal traditional large families exist only in books and movies."
The woman was in her late 20s at the time, Kim said. "After growing up watching her mother serving her grandmother, she said that she knew from experience that living with parents was much more difficult than one might think."
Thus, it is natural for more parents and children to wish for separate lives, Kim said.
Housewife Hong Myung-soon, 62, has two daughters and a son who are all doctors, but Hong and her husband are looking into so-called "silver towns" where retirees live. They can move into one after her husband retires next year.
"My elder daughter who got married last year is already asking me to look after her baby when she has one. I have no intention of doing so," said Hong. "Taking care of three children wore me out with worries and efforts. I "ant to get some rest now." Not all elderly people are well enough off to get a rest, however.
Text courtesy: KOREA Now, October 30, 2004. Embassy of Korea in Kathmandu.
Resolute commitment to democracy and liberal and progressive tradition define B'desh as a nation
-M. Humayun Kabir, Ambassador, B'desh in Nepal
As we continue our journey to build a creative, liberal and democratic nation, it would perhaps be useful on this occasion to take a stock of where do we stand, what are our strengths, what is our collective aspiration, what challenges we face, how do we identify ourselves as a nation and how effectively could we project ourselves before the international community. Response to these issues has assumed greater importance these days as the dividing line between domestic and external agenda is increasingly getting blurred and development in one domain can significantly influence the other.
Two issues perhaps define us best as a nation. One is our commitment to democracy in Bangladesh and the other is our liberal and progressive tradition that spawns an egalitarian and dynamic social order. Without being too theoretical it would perhaps be helpful to take look at democracy in action in Bangladesh. There is a propensity to define democracy only in terms of occasional political exercises. But democracy in Bangladesh has a deeper meaning, and perhaps an explanation might address the curiosity of many people about continued positive evolution in Bangladesh over last fifteen years, despite facing occasional bumps along the road.
We frequently come across a question- what are the underlying strengths of Bangladesh, which sustain our forward movement? I guess others like me, who serve outside or stay outside, may also come across such quires about how Bangladesh moves ahead steadily despite encountering recurrent challenges. Indeed, as hinted above, two powerful forces have been underpinning our progress.
First one is Democracy. Indeed, democracy is the soul of Bangladesh, as it underpins our existence, frames our aspirations, relates one to other as well as provides energy for our collective forward movement. It has assumed several manifestations. In spite of occasional differences in political approach, there is an underlying consensus on fundamentals of democracy among all political and social actors and participants. For example, there is a broad consensus that Constitution of Bangladesh serves the interest of all stockholders; that the system of governance is working reasonably well and that the Parliament is serving its political role. So far, no one has disputed these fundamental issues. If one sifts through the political discourse, it would be clear that the essence of debate, if there is any, is to make the system of accountability more rigorous and effective through the existing political arrangement, not to replace it. Indeed, this is a significant strong point for maintaining systemic stability and to make progress without upsetting the existing structure of governance.
Second, no political system can survive without a social support base. If democracy is an exercise in creating and ensuring equal opportunity for all people, then we have been able to create such an opportunity for all people in Bangladesh. Egalitarian social order is perhaps the secret not only behind our vibrant democracy; it is also the engine behind our impressive economic growth. Indeed, egalitarian social structure inspires and energizes all segments of population to effectively contribute to take the nation forward.
Liberal, progressive and moderate tradition is yet another strength that Bangladesh possesses. A look at recent history will reveal that Bangladesh society has continuously nourished its tolerant, liberal and progressive tradition, even when intolerant behavior in our vicinity has been growing. That perhaps explains why Bangladesh today has largest percentage of women in its workforce in the region, why it has one of the lowest rates of population growth in South Asia, why there is a gender parity in enrolment in primary and secondary classes, and why women have been able to install themselves at the centre of social, economic and political activities at the grass root level. That also explains why Bangladesh has the most vibrant civil society organizations that work together with the government for forming a new paradigm of cooperation.
Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, such a forward march has received a further boost. Forward looking socio-economic policy has energized efforts for poverty alleviation, created new employment opportunity and facilitated growth of overall economy as a respectable rate. Thanks to creative efforts, law and order situation has improved significantly, which in turn has facilitated creation of environment for attracting much needed foreign investment. Transparency in governance has been improved through a variety of measures, including setting up of an independent Anti-Corruption Commission. Public-private partnership has been strengthened to support such a process of positive evolution.
In foreign relations, complementary efforts have been taken to support our domestic drive for progress and modernization. In this regard, economic diplomacy has been playing a pivotal role with focus on identifying new destinations for export of goods and services; export of manpower and attracting foreign investment along with transfer of technology. Strengthening regional cooperation within the framework of SAARC remains one of our priorities. Farther afield, Bangladesh remains committed to international peace, security and development. As a responsible member of international community, we have reaffirmed commitment to continue our robust contribution to peacekeeping diplomacy and efforts under the United Nations. Bangladesh has once again demonstrated its willingness to match its deeds with commitment by destroying entire stock of anti-personal landmines being the first country in South Asia to do so.
Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Nepal have seen some progress during last one year. In terms of high-level contacts, we have had a number of ministerial visits. Among them, the visit of the Hon'ble Minister for Commerce Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury to Kathmandu on 8-10 October 2004 and that of the Hon'ble Foreign Minister M.Morshed Khan, M.P. as the Special Envoy of the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 18-20 November 2004, deserve special mention.
In terms of reaching out to the people of Nepal, some concrete steps have been taken. On 21 February 2005, the Language Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day was observed, which sensitized the people of Nepal about the significance of the Day and the contribution Bangladesh made for this purpose. Likewise, Bangladesh Television World (BTV-World) was launched by the Embassy on 28 April 2004 in the presence of the then Minister of Information of His Majesty's Government of Nepal. Regular exchange of views was undertaken with various local newspapers and other media outlets. Interactions with faculty and students in various Universities and other academic institutions helped to sensitize people about the ground realities in Bangladesh and the efforts being made to develop the country. Publication and wide distribution of magazine "Bangladesh: Marching Ahead," which was brought out from this Embassy on the occasion of Independence and National Day of Bangladesh on 26 March 2004, has significantly contributed to making people aware about the creativity, resilience and dynamism of the people of Bangladesh.
Most visible presence of Bangladesh in Nepal has come in the domain of economic interactions. Consistent with the economic diplomacy of government, a series of efforts have been undertaken to energize relations in this particular area with focus on three dimensions, namely, increasing volume of trade, encouraging joint venture investments and intensifying exchange of business delegations between these two countries. Bangladesh Single Country Fair 2004, which took place in Kathmandu on 8-10 October 2004 was the centerpiece in this effort. This hugely successful Fair, apart from fetching spot order for more than US$300,000 and spot admission of a number of students to Bangladesh reputed private universities, familiarized Bangladesh products to Nepalese business community and people at large. This Fair also gave a glimpse of educational and tourist opportunities available in Bangladesh. It would be worthwhile to mention that as a positive follow up, Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu has already surpassed the export target set for this Mission during the current financial year.
Launching of Nepal-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI) on 7 October 2004 was yet another significant development, aimed at building bridge between the business communities of two countries so that they could energize bilateral economic interactions between Bangladesh and Nepal. Participation in the International Food Festival on 6 November 2004 at Hotel Hyatt Regency also familiarized Bangladeshi cuisine to Nepalese people. Some progress has been made for diversifying areas of joint venture investment.
A number exchanges of delegation took place in recent months. In January 2004, both CNI and FNCCI delegations visited Bangladesh. In May 2004, a business delegation led by first Vice Chair of FNCCI participated at the informal opening of Banglabandh Land Port in Bangladesh. In February 2005, a number of Nepalese pharmaceutical firms participated in Asia Pharma Expo 2005 in Dhaka under the leadership of its President. SAARC Women entrepreneur group visited Dhaka in February 2005 under its Chairperson to explore the possibility of establishing a SAARC Handicrafts Shop in Kathmandu. In March 2005, a delegation from Eastern Regional Chamber under the leadership of the President of Morang Chamber of Industries visited Rajshahi, Dhaka, Bogra, Dinajpur and Banglabandha to find out synergy in economic interactions.
At another level, Ambassador of Bangladesh visited Morang Chamber of Industry in Biratnagar, Sunsari Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dharan in October 2004, Butwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Siddarthanagar Chamber of Commerce and Industry in January 2005. Embassy also extended support to those Chambers to open Bangladesh Business Information Centres with a view to making business information available to local business community.
Significant progress could also be made to intensify academic and cultural interactions between Bangladesh and Nepal. The Cultural programme organized in Royal Nepal Academy in Kathmandu on the occasion of celebration of Victory Day was widely appreciated. Attended by the Prime Minister of HMG of Nepal, other senior Ministers, Speaker of Parliament, senior politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, wonderful performance by cultural team from Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Dhaka was enjoyed by a huge number of local people. As a result of close interaction with academic institutions, Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University was invited by the Kathmandu University to deliver convocation speech on 17 September 2004. At the other end, thanks to initiative from this Embassy, increasing number of Nepalese students are now enrolling themselves in private universities in Bangladesh in programme. Parallel to it, efforts are on to increase seats for Nepalese students in MBBS course in the government medical colleges.
In terms of special initiatives undertaken by this Embassy two elements deserve mention. First, as a reciprocal gesture, Government of Bangladesh decided to waive visa fee for Nepalese tourists intending to visit Bangladesh with effect from 22 November 2004. Second, this Embassy also sponsored several health clinics and distributed free medicines.
Yet, we believe that lot remains to be done and it is our hope that in the coming months we shall be able to accelerate the process of our growing cooperation in all its dimensions. Bangladesh greatly values the friendship and cooperation of the people and government of Nepal and we can work together to promote our bilateral relationship to mutual benefit and at the same time contribute to build a secure, friendly and vibrant South Asia.
In this publication, we have made a modest effort to offer a glimpse into the lives of the people of Bangladesh, their hopes and aspirations as well as challenges they have to confront to make Bangladesh a modern country. We express our gratitude to Nepalese distinguished contributors and sponsors as well as those from Bangladesh for their generous support to our modest effort.
Text courtesy: B'desh: The Land of Creativity and Vitality, an Embassy publication issued on the auspicious occasion of 35th Independence and National Day of Bangladesh, 2005-editor.
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