Notes on the Century of the Family – Opportunities for Children and the Elderly: Part I

Abstract

After the Century of Children (Pukánszky, 2000), will there be a century of the elderly? In the face of a threatening demographic situation, how can the two-pronged effort to halt the decline of birth rates and increase the activity of the growing proportion of elderly people support the functioning of society? Are the elderly receiving sufficient attention alongside children? What is the role of upbringing and education in the "Century of the Family"?
In post-postmodern society (Nádor, 2024), with children and the elderly both in a radically changed situation, it is not self-evident to seek a comprehensive answer, so the solution lies in comprehensive education based on comprehensive ecology. In addition to UN documents, Pope Francis' Global Education Pact and Global Family Pact (Pope Francis, 2023b) have also drawn attention to this. Universities and educational institutions have a decisive role to play in this (Kozma, 2024a).
New competencies and even ‘educational charisma’ (Pope Leo, 2025b) need to be identified in order to harmonize education that supports family, public education, and activities for the elderly (Bajusz & Virágh, 2023). Following Beavers and Timberlawn’s ‘family competency model’ (Beavers & Hampson, 2000), this study introduces the concept of ‘comprehensive family competency’ (CFC). This ultimately characterizes the state of family education with indicators derived from multiple components of the desired and actual number of children. Now in Part I the competencies and intergenerational relationships of childhood will be discussed, while Part II will discuss those of old age.