News Digest from HRF/STI Experts’ Meeting: The Home in the Digital Age

25- 26 February 2019 The Royal Society of Medicine, London

Vision and Background

We live in in a world where technological advance and above all the astonishing pace of change is challenging many of the values and modus operandi we have long taken for granted. Much of this change coupled with the increased transparency which comes with it is undoubtedly for the good of society and especially disadvantaged minorities but equally there is no doubt that some of its use or abuse can be threatening.

Within this political and societal maelstrom the aim of Home Renaissance Foundation is to raise awareness of the home as a vital contributor to individual and social wellbeing. Our work is through research and academic meetings on current relevant trends and challenges. There can be few trends more relevant and challenging than the one identified as the focus of this current Experts’ Meeting: The Home in the Digital Age. What are the contributions – and what are the dangers – of Artificial Intelligence in our homes?

The meeting brings together world-class expertise from fields of computational logic, digital economics, sociology, philosophy of science and architecture. The discussion promises to bring light to an area often ignored by academics and the media: the Home Front.

Much attention has been given to the effects of AI on individuals and on the workplace. Far less has been written or discussed on the implications on the new technologies on the life and work of the home. The home though is truly the front line for many of these developments. HRF has been ground-breaking in raising awareness of this. The home, common to us all, is often lost in plain sight. By channeling attention to the specific context of the home HRF intends to sharpen the focus of the AI debate.

Relevant and resonant questions for the meeting and for society include:

• How are these new technologies changing the perception of our bodies, our sense of belonging, and social relationships?
• How can we make best use of the opportunities offered by AI and what should we protect in the context of the home and household?
• What might be the specific benefits and the specific costs of how the new technologies can enhance children’s growth, their social integration, intergenerational relationships in the domestic environment, and the care of the elderly?

It was fully expected and encouraged that within the presentations other areas of discussion and significance would be raised. The following news digest follows the key points of each presentation and the final section offers a summary and some pointers to the next stage.

Digest

Keynote Monday 25^th February: Background to HRF

Professor Sophia Aguirre, Professor of Economics in the School of Business and Economics, Catholic University of America, Washington DC, USA, outlined the background to the research element of Home Renaissance Foundation: to give status and increased understanding of the work and life of the home and to provide an evidence base to inform and influence policy and decision making at a local, national and global level.

 Session 1 AI, Automation and the Home.

Economic historian Dr Stephen Davies, Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), London, UK,  gave a historical perspective on the anxieties associated with the new developments. Society has faced great technological shifts in the past and has found ways of adapting and making the most of them. The relevant strand from this presentation was that all discussion of the effects of AI on the labour market has focused on the workplace rather than the home context. “The home is not a central or explicit concern or topic of debate, the strengthening of the home and households and families is not an explicit goal of public policy. If it were the discussion of automation and its possible effects would have quite a different content and flavour.” This point was reinforced by Dr Davies pointing out that only since the middle of the 20^th Century have individuals been seen as the economic unit rather than the family or household. Looking forward he sees a return to home working with an emphasis on those things that cannot be made by machines, alongside the prediction that 80% of  “white-collar” jobs including GPs and lawyers will be replaced by AI systems. The new era of the artisan will have many implications for the domestic sphere. Will there be a return to the pre-industrial model of home as undifferentiated economic and domestic value?

Session 2 The impact of AI on Employment.

Economist Dr Mia Mikic, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, picked up on the strand introduced by Dr Davies that the economic impact of AI is broadly being seen as an impact on employment. In considering just 15 major developed and emerging economies the World Economic Forum predicts that frontier technological trends will lead to a net loss of over five million jobs by 2020. Dr Mikic developed a point of Dr Davies that even though many of these workers will be redeployed, the individual, familial and social upheaval of relocation, retraining and changed income levels is not factored into global forecasts and spreadsheets. Dr Mikic was keen to point out that although there are social benefits to much of the “almost intelligent” technology taking over many of the more dangerous tasks including bomb disposal, at the domestic level the benefits are harder to call. Key societal responses to the new technologies should be improving access to education in these new life-skills and ensuring inclusivity especially by encouraging women to play a full entrepreneurial role in the digital economy.

Dr Joy Malala, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya, responded to this by drawing attention to the experience of Kenyans who have been enfranchised by the new “hand-held” technology that does not depend on a national infrastructure. The mobile revolution has put financial planning and educational opportunities literally into the hands of Kenyan householders. “99% of the population does not have a bank account, but they do have a phone.”

Session 3 Digital Home: The Missing Element for a People-centered Digital Future.

Technology pioneer  Mei Lin Fung, People-Centered Internet, World Economic Forum, shared statistics on the scale of our digital progress (e-addresses being contained in something the size of a beachball to now, exponentially, something the size of our sun) and placed them firmly in the context of their implications for our shared future: “We are at the 50/50 moment when half the world is connected to the internet. What happens when the other half come on line is in our hands. We have the opportunity to prioritize home and family above work – and still live well.” Mei- Lin drew parallels with the pioneer families in the early days of the American West taking wagons across unknown and dangerous land with the journey we are on as a society on the digital frontier. She urged us to remember that on those wagons, along with food and arms, they also took pianos. We need to have on board the things that build good homes and lives. “Understanding what the Digital Home could be- a safe, welcoming and happy place where people together expand their social and economic activities…is an important endeavour.” “The home is the custodian of what is shared and what is private. The node that connects and protects wider communities.” Mei Lin concluded with a call for a “Renaissance in research about the home for humanity.” We need a seat at the table and a piano on the wagon.

Deborah Gale, Global Institute of Experienced Entrepreneurship, co-author of the presentation added her plea for active participation and leadership in the regulation and planning for the digital future. This was echoed by Lord Best responding to the question “Is the internet too big and too disparate for regulation?” and calling for urgent engagement in providing good regulatory guidance and safeguards. A point developed by Professor Sonia Livingstone in her keynote presentation. (See below.)

Session 4 Contested Homes in the Age of the Cloud.

Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, Chair in Architecture and the Director of the Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage, Nottingham Trent University, UK, addressed one of the key questions of the meeting: how are these new technologies changing the perception of our bodies, our sense of belonging, and social relationships. Two fundamental changes are affecting the life of the home, 1) the increasing number of older people as percentage of population in the UK and Europe, 2) the increasing encroachment of technologies in the way homes operate on a daily basis. Smart homes for the elderly need to address the actual concerns of older people not only their carers. Issues of safety and security are important, but so, argues Professor Abdelmonem, are fears of social isolation and lack of privacy.  He also noted the changes to private and public spaces and contexts; these shift relative to the size and activity of the home. Private/personal space can now be achieved by plugging in to the digital world, creating isolation in formerly shared space. The challenge is for “homes of the 21^st Century where work, care and emotional support are contesting the very nature of socio-spatial patterns of the domestic space….To be sustainable and central to family living.” Home planning for all generations needs to recognize the shifting demographic and private/public domains and to “Revisit [the home’s] roles as private spaces, and integrate technologies that are family friendly with clear ethical and moral principles.” Human values must underlie digital development.

Session 5 Homes as Human Robot Ecologies:An Epistemological Inquiry on the “Domestication” of Robots

Professor Luisa Damiano, Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of Messina, Italy, explored how the notion of “domestic robots” has moved from science fiction to frontier research. As with Professor Abdelmonem, Professor Damiano’s focus was on how human needs and behaviours need to be integrated with these developments – not teaching humans how to be with robots but making robots that genuinely benefit humans in domestic contexts. The so-called “peer-to-peer” interaction skills of robots in a wide range of home-based care and work tasks from cleaning to baby-sitting “promises a considerable transformation of humans’ domesticity, and more in general, way of living.”  Like earlier speakers Professor Damiano advocated the urgency of a specific ethical reflection on these developments. “Instead of prioritizing the inclusion of robots into domestic environments by enhancing their networks of [robot-robot] relations, to favour the design of robots as “social connectors”: prioritizing the goal of empowering human-human relations inside and outside domestic environments.”

Dr Ioana Ocnarescu, Design Researcher at Strate School of Design, Paris, France, responded by perfectly illustrating Dr Damiano’s argument with examples from the robot design perspective. Designers are most often approached once the robot has been created and are asked to optimize its use. This, Dr Ocnarescu argues, is the wrong way round. Designers are best-placed to be a part of the process from the beginning to ensure that the robot fits human needs rather than humans learning to fit in with the robot.(Video link to be found at:https://vimeo.com/128873380)

Keynote Tuesday 26th February: Digital Families: Grand Hopes, Growing Fears, Everyday Struggles.

Professor Sonia Livingstone OBE FBA, Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Media and Communications London School of Economics (LSE), UK, presented relevant aspects of her work with Alicia Blum-Ross on Parenting for a Digital Future. This directly addressed the key question: What might be the specific benefits and the specific costs of how the new technologies can enhance children’s growth, their social integration, intergenerational relationships in the domestic environment? Professor Livingstone established that 5 in 6 of all parents use digital technologies for parenting. She outlined some of the mixed messages both parents and children are receiving about the new technologies. On one hand they are encouraged to prepare for a digital future, on the other hand they are bombarded with scare stories about excessive screen time and internet dangers. Future-proofing or brain-washing? Negotiating a path through this new terrain causes tension within the home and relationships. Parents feel disconnected from their children and each other and it is hard for them to gain advice in managing these new conflicts. Professor Livingstone’s own research suggests that many of the fears about screen time and access are not borne out in evidence. Gaining digital confidence, learning about coding from an early age should equip children for the new world. How far though does this increase the disconnect between parents and their children in the shared space of the home? Bearing in mind some social class distinctions found in the research, what are the shared values which we can encourage for all families, not just “the Geeks”? What does digital citizenship look like in the domestic context? What does need to be addressed is the age at which children become digitally active. This led to a return to the discussion concerning regulation and safe-guarding. It is clear that governments find themselves on the back foot in attempting to regulate something which is moving so fast and will only move faster in the future. It is also clear that any regulation or education plan needs to consider the whole family dynamic and needs.

Session 6: AI Empowered Technology in the Home.

Professor Francesca Toni, Professor in Computational Logic in the Department of Computing, Imperial College London, UK, and the founder and leader of the CLArg (Computational Logic and Argumentation) research group, picked up on a theme of the meeting, that these technologies although evolving fast still have a long way to go. Professor Toni’s perspective suggests that there is still time and opportunity to make these new technologies work for and not against human social needs. The commercial developments that we see in place now aim to identify and optimize human activities. Currently “Connected Homes” are seen as places where control of energy consumption and security are managed either remotely or centrally by householders. There is not yet much available that engages directly with social connection facilitated by AI within the home between family/household members. This is an area where conversation between those working in the field of AI, scientific and commercial, and those concerned with policy making is vital.

Summary

How are these new technologies changing the perception of our bodies, our sense of belonging, and social relationships?

Addressed by Professors Gamal Abdelmonem, Luisa Damiano, Sonia Livingstone, Francesca Toni and by Mei Lin Fung, and by respondents, Homayoun Alemi FRIBA, Dr Ioana Ocnarescu and Professor Matilde Santos, Professor in System Engineering and Automatic Control, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.

Key strands

•  Many of these technologies are still at an early stage and evidence is still unclear as to the direct effect on the perception of our bodies, our sense of belonging, and social relationships.
• Evidence we do have shows that the line between the private and the public is shifting and affecting the groups we feel we belong to. Questions concerning individual privacy are dominating the discussion of digital access, while more important shared concerns are less well-represented.
• There is intergenerational tension in social relationships where use/overuse/inappropriate use of digital technology is perceived.

How can we make best use of the opportunities offered by AI and what should we protect in the context of the home and household?

Addressed by all participants already cited and including respondent Dr Gloria Pasadilla, Partner and Business Director of Leadership Design Pte, Ltd, Singapore.

Key strands

• No one is currently raising the home context in the forums of AI and digital technologies. There needs to be “space at the table” for those concerned with these issues to engage with those making the decisions which reach into our homes.
• The speed of development requires an urgent engagement with the ethical and social implications of the digital frontier and the prioritizing of human-human connection over human-robot connection.
• Regulation, “trust-gates” and “gate-keepers” and firm ethical guidelines need to be integrated, and develop alongside with all technologies affecting the domestic context.
• More research needed to see how the next generation of AI will impact on the home.

What might be the specific benefits and the specific costs of how the new technologies can enhance children’s growth, their social integration, intergenerational relationships in the domestic environment, and the care of the elderly?

Addressed by Professors Gamal Abdelmonem, Luisa Damiano, Sonia Livingstone, Francesca Toni and by Mei Lin Fung, and by respondents, Homayoun Alemi FRIBA, Dr Ioana Ocnarescu and Professor Matilde Santos, Professor in System Engineering and Automatic Control, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.

Key Strands

• There are clear benefits to children’s individual access to education and employment from digital technology. There is an impact on relationships within the home but these often arise from intergenerational tensions around amount of time children spend on screen and parental lack of knowledge/confidence on how to manage this.
• There are clear benefits to the elderly from technologies designed to improve their security, safety, health and independence at home. There must be an awareness that many of these technologies are designed for the benefit of carers/relatives rather than the older person. Aim to work with rather than for the elderly to develop next stage of “care” technology.
• There is no indication of the intergenerational benefits of AI being addressed or developed as key requirements or needs. That is in terms of communication, mutual nurturing, or intergenerational living.

Indicators for Future Actions/Engagement

• No one is currently raising the home context in the forums of AI and digital technologies. There needs to be a “seat at the table” for those concerned with these issues to engage with those making the decisions which reach into our homes.
• Construction of a framework and content of support and guidelines for parents and carers, and access to this, needs to be developed in the context of all who share the home.
• More research is needed on the costs/benefits of the new technologies to the home.
• There is no indication of the intergenerational benefits of AI being addressed or developed as key requirements or needs. That is in terms of communication, mutual nurturing, or intergenerational living.
• There was little mention of any specifics in terms of ethical principles or guidelines to inform the above actions and engagements. This is clearly an area for further and detailed discussion.

Home Renaissance Foundation was delighted to be the guest of Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, Chair in Architecture and Director of the Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Global Heritage (CAUGH) at Nottingham Trent University, for the launch of The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections, published by Edward Elgar 2018.

The fine buildings of Nottingham Trent University, the perfect marriage of old and new architectural styles, reflect the impressive achievements of the university and provided a very welcoming and appropriate context for the launch on Thursday evening. The invited audience included academics and students from a range of disciplines, along with professional architects.

The keynote presentation of the evening on “Wellbeing and Social Environment” was given by Professor Sir Harry Burns, Director of Global Public Health at Strathclyde University. Sir Harry Burns is also Chair of the Centre for Health Policy and of the Scottish Government’s Review into Targets for Health and Social Care. He was Chief Medical Officer for Scotland until 2014.

Professor Antonio Argandona,  Emeritus Professor of Economics and Business Ethics, Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility at IESE, Business School, University of Navarra and editor of The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections presented the content and significance of the publication.

They were joined on the panel by Tricia Akers RIBA, Director and Owner of Allan Joyce Architects, and Julie Richards RIBA, Director and Owner of Julie Richards Architectural Design Limited. Both architects work in the Nottingham area and have a wide experience of creating many different kinds of homes, from luxury residences to social housing and care homes. Julie Richards also gave a helpful introduction to some of the questions and considerations to be used in the design process.

Professor Abdelmonem introduced each of the guest speakers and panellists, making valuable links between the world of architecture and the wider implications of home and housing decisions for the whole of society.

HRF Chairman Bryan Sanderson CBE began the evening by emphasising the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to discussion of the home. Voices from the worlds of architecture, medicine, education and law need to contribute to this critically important subject. The role of Home Renaissance Foundation as an International Think Tank is to provide a space and a platform for these voices to be heard.

Professor Antonio Argandona continued this theme in his presentation on The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections. There is strong societal need for a catalyst for change. Beneficial changes in our communities and workplaces begin in the home. This requires both the willingness of the individual to behave in such a way as to support other members of the household and for policy makers to support individuals in doing this. Professor Argandona spoke of a society where “home overflows”. He ended with the readiness needed in the home context to “fry a shirt or iron an egg”, in other words to see and live our individual and collective responsibility to each other.

Professor Sir Harry Burns speaking on “Wellbeing and Social Environment” was also very concerned about how the “home overflows” in to later life outcomes for individuals as well as wider society: “The circumstances in which we are born, grow and live shape the outcomes we experience.” Speaking from his personal experience as a surgeon, and illustrated by data from a wide range of studies, Sir Harry described the devastating damage that stems from living in homes where family members suffer chronic stress, most often as a result of poverty. This overflows into poor educational and health outcomes and poor choices and behaviours. Developing his discussion to “what causes wellness” Sir Harry saw a causal link between people having more control of their social environment and improved quality of life. “Ask people what they need”, “Think, Yes” are attitudes required from those in charge of public policy and resources to make the difference. Building hope, confidence and a “sense of coherence” in those most at risk in our society is the most important building we can do.

The panellists took up these strands of how the built environment can help create more positive social environments. Key is to build places that allow people to come together, and to understand the needs of the people using the space. Tricia Akers and Julie Richards explained how important the client consultation phase of any project should be. Sir Harry Burns stressed that this phase also needs to be given priority when social and community projects are under discussion.

Questions from the floor included a plea for all those studying and working in the field of architecture to engage with these issues.

Professor Abdelmonem closed this very successful and enjoyable session with renewed thanks to all those contributing to the launch of The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections.

HRF Seminar and Book Launch: “The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections” at Nottingham Trent University was organised in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)-East Midlands and the Nottingham Trent Architectural Society

Pogramme and participants

Thursday, March 14, 2019, at 6:00 p.m.

Newton Building, Lecture Theatre 4, City Campus, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham

The Home in the Digital Age | Home Renaissance Foundation Expert’s Meeting
London 25-26 February 2019 | At The Royal Society of Medicine, London

Home Renaissance Foundation in partnership with the Social Trends Institute hosts a gathering or world-leading academics on the field of AI and digital technologies to discuss the impact of these developments on the life and work of the home.

Professor Sonia Livingstone OBE FBE from LSE will address the challenges to families in: Grand Hopes, Growing Fears, Everyday Struggles.

Contributions will be heard from key experts in the areas of sociology, philosophy of science, computational logic, economics and architecture:

Mei-Lin Fung, People Centered Internet, World Economic Forum

Professor Francesca Toni, Leader of Computational Logic and Argumentation, Imperial College, London

Mia Mikic, Director at Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, United Nations ESCAP, Bangkok

Dr Stephen Davies, Head of Education at the Institute of Economic Affairs, London

Professor Luisa Damiano, Department of Ancient and Modern Civilizations, University of Messina

Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, Director of the Centre for Architecture at Nottingham Trent University

To book a place to report on this event please contact Susan Peatfield:
susan@homerenaissancefoundation.com and follow us on Twitter: @HRFLondon

The family as the vital hub of society was the focus of an event organised by the Home Renaissance Foundation and The Family Watch at the European Parliament in Madrid on Thursday, November 8.

“Life begins in the home and the family takes first priority for the Government of Madrid,” Mr Alberto San Juan Director-General of Family and Child, told the meeting to discuss the state of the home in Spain and the rest of Europe and launch HRF’s latest book entitled ‘The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections.’

The rising number of children diagnosed with mental illness, the instability caused by divorce, problems of adolescents being left alone while their parents are at work and the need for redistribution of tasks within the home to lessen a mother’s burden are urgency issues to address.

Mr San Juan explained that the real major concern is the low birth rate, both in Spain and throughout Europe and the reason why the Government of Madrid has invested 2,700 million euros in policies to help provide for the basic requirements of families and increase the birth rate.

Neuropsychiatrist Rafaela Santos warned of the difficulty of differentiating between wellbeing and happiness. She said that while the State can supply services that give families stability, it’s impossible for the State to make people happy.

President of The Family Watch, Javier Fernandez del Moral, highlighted the necessity of making the most of new technologies for optimum interaction and communication within the family.  He also spoke of safeguarding the family both from the public sphere and from within as the values transmitted through the home in future generations are what will keep society alive. He emphasised the need for the family to be appreciated for what it is  – a nucleus of fundamental coexistence for the human being to develop fully and with dignity.

On Wednesday, October 10 at 7 pm at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Home Renaissance Foundation launched its latest book ‘The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections’ edited by Professor Emeritus Antonio Argandoña, who opened the event with a presentation entitled: ‘Home is also a company.’

This was followed by a round table moderated by the Research Director of the International Centre for Work and Family, Professor Mireia Las Heras, which debated if the home can be managed as a company and if the work that the home requires can or must be considered a profession.

This round table was made up of:

– Remei Agulles, Professor at the International University of Catalonia

– Rosa Pich, influencer, Youtuber and mother

– Javier Vidal-Quadras, lawyer and member of the International Foundation for Family Development

Here you are some of the reflections that they made:

Remei Agulles: “Today’s postmodern society means that when we start making a home, there are no fixed patterns. Before, people learnt by being there, but these days that doesn’t happen so we need professionals to “train” us and not just tell us how it should be done.”

Rosa Pich: “Something that has to be clear from the start in any home is that there are rules and boundaries – just like at school, marriages or university. Loving people includes making demands on them, saying no, and each family member needs to learn that.”

Javier Vidal Quadras: “Nobody gets married in order to split up afterwards, and nobody has children in order to make them unhappy, but it happens. Why? Ask yourself that question. Training and education are two good allies.”

Wednesday, October 10, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.

IESE Business School. Arnús i Garí Street, 3. 08034 Barcelona

Press Contact: 
Ángela de Miguel
Email: angela@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 (0) 7492196196

Home Renaissance Foundation’s panel began with an introduction by HRF Director Julia Prats within the framework of sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s statement: “There should be some legal, social and economic framework which would allow people to choose working at home as a profession”. Julia Prats introduced the challenge faced by companies when an employer sees in his or her workers an inability to tackle problems at work, which could be linked to their childhood upbringing at home.  

Marc Grau, sociologist and researcher at the University of Edinburgh, made reference first to the feeling of guilt experienced by many women, and how the battle for a more balanced life consists of being responsible in the spheres of both one’s working and personal life. Mr Grau expressed that we are experiencing a paradigm shift from the male bread-winner role into a more ‘intimate father’.  

Mey Zamora declared that she is proud of being a homemaker and said that all those who work at home should feel proud as well, stating: “we play in a premier league team”. Mrs Zamora, after beautifully describing how the house is the point of reference in the world, concluded that taking care of the home ultimately means being able to create the best conditions for a good quality of life.  

Psychiatrist Joan de Dou utilised his expertise to examine the inconsistency between the personal and family values that people possess, and the extent to which the gap between the two can cause unhappiness. The sense of guilt which comes from comparing ourselves to one another is for some women an obstacle to happiness. In his consultancy work Mr de Dou carries out cognitive behavioural therapy which is based on the acceptance of and commitment to everything that you undertake in your life. He affirmed that the values that we carry have the greatest impact on the child’s educational training, based on the concept of ‘transferrable language’, one of the theories of Dr Paulino Castells, another psychiatrist who has researched the matter.  

The panel continued with a second participation by Marc Grau, who talked about the important mission of the Public Administration on this matter. He praised the Norwegian model and the two criteria behind its policy: the children’s best interest and the right to choose whether or not to stayat home. He also commended the French model on family-friendly policy.  

Joan de Dou brought the panel’s deliberations to an end, remarking that our current tendency for workaholism could be rooted on escapism. The psychotherapy that he undertakes is based on three values: self-control, transcendental motives and solidarity. As he said, all of these values can be attained with the work that a homemaker undertakes at home.  

Mercedes Jaureguibeitia , CEO of Home Renaissance Foundation who travelled especially from London to be at the event, said that already good ties have been strengthened with IESE Business School, leading to a highly beneficial dialogue between the leading management school in Spain and Home Renaissance Foundation. IESE is the second highest ranking Executive Business School in the world according to the Financial Times 2013 Executive Education listing.  

A special thanks to Nuria Chinchilla, Director of the International Center for Work and Family, on the organisation of the event. 

The Home Renaissance Foundation held its 4th International and Interdisciplinary Conference on 16-17 November in London. The event aimed to discuss the vital role of the home in health and wellbeing, both for individuals and for society as a whole.

Participants from more than 15 countries gathered at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine to discuss a variety of topics which ranged from the benefits of inter-generational interaction in the home to the power of healthcare professionals to promote healthy behaviour in their patients.

Noted speakers included Sir Harry Burns who spoke of the importance of a nurturing family as the basis for a successful life, and Baroness Sheila Hollins who emphasized the need to change paternalistic attitudes towards people with learning disabilities as “it’s fundamental that we all have a right to a family life and this includes children and adults with developmental learning difficulties”.

Professor Elizabeth Robb OBE gave an insightful talk on the importance of healthy family relationships as the foundation for a stable life, as “relationship education is incredibly important to prevent cycles of aggressive and violent behaviour”. Dr Timothy S. Harlan (Dr. Gourmet) from the USA emphasised the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and the advantages of preparing healthy food at home. Renata Kaczmarska of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs addressed the impact of family policies and the need to support parents in the home, including the thought-provoking finding that “grandparents who help care for their grandchildren have a 30% lower risk of mortality and better physical health than those who do not participate in giving care”.

These matters are especially relevant in a world that has seen rapid change and an increasing prevalence of mental health issues. Despite the great variety of topics discussed, a common theme emerged: the importance of a stable, safe home that provides emotional support, empathy and respect. The home is not simply the physical space where we live, but a complex concept that has an incalculable impact on our physical and emotional health and on society as a whole. A home should be safe, nurturing and valued, and governments have a huge responsibility to implement policies that support this.

Press Contact: 
Media Contact: Ángela de Miguel
Email: press@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 020 7490 3296
Video

Home Renaissance Foundation and its UK-based partner, Mothers at Home Matter, launched the results of the British Report of the Global Home Index at the House of Commons.

The guest speaker, Miriam González Durántez applauded the fact that a very substantial amount of our GDP is generated through the support network of the home but said “historically the home has been run by women who didn’t have any power in society. Their contribution has gone therefore unrecognised.”

Following the idea of British journalist Colin Brazier, of Sky News UK, the survey is a comparative study measuring perceptions on the work of the home in 20 countries.

According to the study, answered by over 9, 000 people worldwide, around 60% of participants strongly agreed that homemaking can teach skills applicable to other areas of life. However, at present few families appear to be regularly distributing tasks amongst themselves (15-25% of those surveyed).

One of the lessons to be learnt from the home study includes healthy eating. With almost half of participants claiming to routinely cook homemade meals, many clearly recognise that the home is a critical source of nutrition and paves the way for future dietary awareness. Miriam González relates strongly to this since she feels absolutely satisfied being a homemaker and having built her own home. Her greatest recognition comes from their boys and she joked:  “I am a Spanish Mum so I find myself doing the same things my mother did and with the same ruthlessness. My boys will recognise that, as far as they are concerned, no-one cooks as well as their Mum!”

One of the things that was discussed when the dialogue was opened was the meaning of success. “I am not more or less feminist for following my husband and leaving my job in Brussels because the decision was born from my freedom of choice”, Miriam González Durantez said.

According to Miriam González Durantez, the concept of success is changing. She would not be a successful woman if one side of her life failed. Both family and professional lives should come together to consider that it is a success. She recognises that her success comes not only from her effort and hard work but the environment where she grew up.

The research points out that the home must be considered in the design of future public and corporate policies. And it should serve as a reference point when considering the societal benefit of a new policy.

Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton, who hosted the event, confirmed that she and David Burrowes have lined up a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss future policy that puts the family first.

Press Contact: 
Media Contacts: Ángela de Miguel
Email: press@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 020 7490 3296

A group of experts and other invited guests were on hand to listen to speeches by Lord Best, President of the Local Government Association, and HRF chairman Bryan Sanderson CBE.

A presentation of ‘Bricks & Mortar Across Generations: A Think Piece on Intergenerational Living in the UK’ was made by HRF Research Coordinator Simca Simpson. Dr Samantha Callan then spoke as a respondent to the think piece.

Some of the issues raised by the study formed part of a discussion at the event, led by the veteran broadcaster and author Charles Handy who said his own experience of sharing a home with a younger generation – his daughter – informed his belief that it was an idea whose time had come.

“Norms are changing,” he said. “The cost of housing will bring us together, like it or not.” He said that, although many people were propelled into intergenerational living because of economic circumstances, others had realised that it had lots to offer. “It is a chance to share wisdom. I am shown how to use an iPad, they are shown how to play Scrabble!” He said intergenerational living should not be unduly romanticised. “To work best,” he said, “takes rules and a door bell.”

Like Mr Handy, the HRF chairman Bryan Sanderson CBE, also lives in a house that is home to several generations of the same family; grandparents, parents and grandchildren. He noted that Western societies could learn much from the models of intergenerational living taken for granted in the developing world. And he described the housing crisis and potential solutions like intergenerational living as “the most significant political issue of our time”.

Dr Callan drew attention to the example of Singapore, where intergenerational living is encouraged through the taxation system. She said that intergenerational living was vital if society was to avoid an epidemic of loneliness, while commenting that: “There have been massive changes in families – but not in the housing structures around them.” Dr Callan, a mother of teenaged boys, said that intergenerational living was no longer seen as a mark of failure. On the contrary “…it is increasingly seen as a sign of family strength for generations to live together.”

One of the delegates at the launch praised the HRF’s choice of subject and noted that intergenerational living was the subject of the next World Congress on Families.

• Waikato University takes over organisation of HRF Conference
• Home & Identity: The public-private nexus takes place in Rome
• Jean-Claude Kaufmann and Giuliana Mandich among keynote speakers

LONDON, 27 October 2012 –  Home Renaissance Foundation is gaining renown in its own right throughout all corners of the world. This has been proved especially this year, as New Zealand takes over the organisation of our next conference.

Home and Identity: The public-private nexus,which will take place between 14-15 November in Rome this year has been a collaborative effort between Waikato University and Roma Tre University, with Fondazione Oikia and Home Renaissance Foundation.

The Conference aims to explore reasons as to why those who work in the home, often do not position themselves highly when comparing their social identity to other groups or occupations. The home transgresses many aspects of social identity, yet the work of the home does not generally deliver tangible or recognisable goals or outputs that lead to an identity easily recognised or valued by society, especially Western society.

The home is central to personal identity and all its intrinsic and extrinsic manifestations but this has not been studied. Presentations given by esteemed academics centre around historical and anthropological theories of the home, industry influences, human development and gender identity among others.

Keynote speakers include:

• Home of Little Happiness: Jean-Claude Kaufmann, of National Centre of Scientific Research is a French sociologist and author of Le Sac: A little world of love.
• Home boundaries, everyday cultures and capabilities: Giuliana Mandich, expert on urban sociology, social networks and social capital, Professor of Sociology with the University of Caligari, Faculty of Political Science.
• Repositioning the boundaries: memory and plans in the homes of young women: Marita Rampazi, referee for TIME magazine on sociology related economic and business issues, Professor of Sociology, University of Pavia.
• Being a woman in the contemporary confusion: Fiorenza Deriu, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Statistical Sciences, Universita La Sapienza. Author of La cittadinanza difficile: Memorie di vita femminile.

Home Renaissance Foundation is pleased to invite members of the press to attend the conference in part or in its entirety. Please contact us for further information on the speakers and the scientific committee members.

Press Contact: 
Media Contacts: Irene Gargoles or Joanna Roughton
Email: press@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 020 7490 3296