The Contemporary Family in Romanian Society: Structural Change, Public Perceptions, and the Educational Function in the Age of Globalization

This article offers an integrated sociological analysis of the contemporary family in Romania, bringing together theoretical, empirical, and policy-relevant perspectives on a social institution undergoing rapid transformation. It begins by delimiting the concept of family from both a sociological and a legal standpoint and reviewing the functions that the family institution has historically performed, with particular attention to its educative function. The article then examines how globalization — through the emancipation of women, the redistribution of domestic tasks, and the pervasive presence of digital technology — has reshaped the way families raise and educate children, a process further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It subsequently maps the principal structural challenges confronting the contemporary family: the postponement of marriage, declining fertility, the normalization of cohabitation, and the rising incidence of divorce. Drawing on national survey data, the article documents how Romanians perceive the family institution today, including levels of trust in family and marriage, gendered expectations of spousal roles, attitudes toward polygamy and same-sex marriage, and the persistence of the family meal as a ritual of cohesion. Finally, the article presents original mixed-methods findings from a study of 106 students at the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași, examining how young people themselves perceive the Internet's role in their socialization and, indirectly, in the erosion and reconfiguration of the family's educative monopoly. Taken together, the findings suggest that the Romanian family remains a highly valued institution even as its structure, functions, and modes of transmission are being renegotiated under the combined pressure of globalization, individualization, and digitalization.