Caribbean Family –Social and Health Concerns

Dr. J. Rawlins

Senior Lecturer

Public Health and Primary Care Unit

Faculty of Medical Sciences

University of the West Indies

Family Structure and Health

Objectives define and identify “family” in the various

presentations, structures and components discuss the family’s impact on health

behaviour, health beliefs and health promotion

discuss the issue of male marginalization and its implications for health

Reference(s)

Barrow, Christine (1996) “Family in the Caribbean- Themes and Perspectives” , Ian Randle Publishers, Mona, Jamaica.

Reddock, Rhoda and Bobb-Smith, Yvonne (2008)“Reconciling Work and Family. ILO. Geneva.

What do we mean by family?

a group of related kin, linked by blood relationships and /or marriage or “similar relationship” or adoption, usually occupying a common household and usually characterized by relations of economic cooperation and solidarity

in its simplest form a family consists of a husband, a wife and their non-adult children i.e. the nuclear family

the extended family- in which we get the the nuclear family intact or minus father or mother, but with other members of the family e.g. grandmothers, aunts, uncles and cousins

Family

Considered as the basic unit of social organization Found in all societies (Thus it is a universal social

institution)

Functions - protects members, nurtures, transfers values from

generation to generation, educates- generally, acts as a buffer against all problems which family members might encounter, acts as and agency of socialization

NB. All these functions have implications for the individual’s health and well-being

Family and Health: the link

The family: is the first emotional and social situation that

we experience is our

first teacher and first health care provider

determines our life-style in childhood influences our life-style in later years (most likely)

Family: Trinidad and Tobago-style

Afro-TrinidadiansIndo-TrinidadiansChinese TrinidadiansSyrian-LebaneseOther Trinidadians

Explanation of some family patterns

Cultural diffusion approach

attempts to explain family structure by referring to its roots in Africa, Asia and Europe, and argues that present structures represent modifications of these origins

Social Pathology Approach

claims that the hazards of the middle passage and plantation slavery deformed the Afro-Caribbean family in a number of ways

Structural functionalist approach

argued that the family is not deformed or dysfunctional, but has adopted certain forms as a response to a situation of poverty and economic marginality

Adaptive Response Approach

Adaptive Response Approach

This approach which has similarities to the Structural Functionalist Approach argues that families headed by females are not mal-adaptive but are positive responses to the absence of males through migration and other socio-economic forces. (Discuss)

These theorists argue that the movement from one union to another is an adaptive function, in responding to the changing economic conditions of the region and the concomitant unpredictable status of their partners

Common terms in relation to family

Matrifocal (Or matri-centric simply means mother or female

centred and can be understood to designate a form in which only a mother and her dependent children are present or significant-

refers e.g. to the female headed household as is common in Caribbean and some other societies

Matriarchal is sometimes used synonymously with matrifocal, but

it is not really the same

Matriarchy

Matriarchal . “Matriarchy has not been clearly defined by

anthropologist and those who study culture, but if we consider it to be the opposite of patriarchy, then matriarchy should be a society ruled by women in which men have inferior social and political status, including basic human rights. According to this definition, there is no evidence of matriarchy in ethnology.

Women’s rule?

Matriarchy The suffix -archy denotes leadership and ruling.

True to its sense, any -archal society should follow that a group dominates the others.

Anthropologists know of no matriarchal society as so defined. But even without matriarchy, it is important to note that women in many societies do wield power and serve as leaders.

Patriarchy

Patriarchalrefers to the male headed household within a family system and “patriarchy” to the system of male dominance and female subordination within a societal system

Matrilineal- is the family system in which people join the mother’s group at birth and stay members for life.

Criticism of the Matrifocal family

Some accuse it of :producing maladjusted familiesproducing juvenile delinquentsproducing school drop-outsnot being a “proper family” and not a

viable unit in its own right Note: Female headed households 28-70% in the

Caribbean

Single Mothers, Health and Death

A (Swedish) Study reported in the Lancet, May 2000 showed that single mothers die younger than non

single mothers 70% risk of dying earlier compared to their counterpart

with husbands or partners much of this increase is due to disparities in income

and social standing other researchers have shown that single motherhood

poses unique health burdens both physical and mental the research showed that married people live longer

and are generally healthier than singles ( Ref. Gunilla Weitoft,2000)

Single Mothers and Health

Single mothers: were more than twice as likely to commit

suicide three times as likely to suffer a violent death 2.5 times as likely to die an alcohol -related

deathMost likely these differences, in part, are related to the

stress of working and trying to raise children on their

own

Other historical reasons proposed to explain matrifocality in the Caribean

Cultural West African origins influenced family structure. (There a

system of polygamy existed)- a form of extended family with one husband and two or more wives.

This structure allowed for considerable economic independence

Plantation Slavery The system of plantation slavery has resulted in Matrifocal

families (note M.G. Smith the renown Anthropologist)

The Economic Model the economic position of black males in the “new world” -

created the matrifocality. ** (Matrifocality slightly less common in

Trinidad and Guyana)

Poverty

A fourth argument cites poverty as the main cause of matrifocality, and argues that matrifocality had become a part of the subculture of poverty.

Oscar Lewis in his “Culture of Poverty” studies in Puerto Rico argued that matrifocality was not simply a product of poverty, but also of culture.

Commonly found union types

Married -legal; all religious and ethnic groups Common law

like marriage but until recently did not have same legal status. Now has same status… children not discriminated against

Visiting relationship no legal status sexual relations variable stability

Union Patterns in the Anglophone Caribbean in the mid 1990’s

Young mothers < than 25 years are usually in non-residential unions (marriage at these ages, except in the East Indian population, is negligible)

Up to 75% of total women will have a child before age 25 years

Age 25-45 majority of women are in residential unions After 45 year there is an upward trend in: separations e.g. Widowhood and divorce

Divorces: In Trinidad

Divorce rates highest among the >40’sAs age increases up to the 40’s the

rate increases Divorce rates per 1000 (Trinidad 1998) 35-39 547 per 1000 40-44 807 per 1000 45-49 718 per 1000 50 and 779 per 1000

Source: Ministry of Gender and Culture, 1998

Divorce update T&T (2006)

Divorce rate has risen 29.7% in the past ten years (CSO)

1554 in 2000, up from 1198 in 1990 Significant numbers had only been married for

2 years; and in 2002, five of these had only been married for one year

The average age of first marriages in 2002 was 20-24 for women and 25-29 for men

Source: Woman Express, p.16. (3/9/2006)

Family and Health:Some Issues

family historysocio-economic situationdietary preferencesexercise patternsdrinking choicessexual behaviour

Specific health implications for these families??

The young single motherThe older single motherThe Jehovah’s witness The Catholic familythe Hindu familyThe Muslim familyThe traditional Christian family

Questions

Is the family all that we expect it to be?Is the family always seen in a positive

light?Can the family protect the individual in a

situation of serious economic challenge?

Can the family protect the individual’s health in today’ society?

Men’s marginalization

Men under the system of patriarchy are accustomed to being in charge

In the past 40-50 years the system of patriarchy ruled, within the Caribbean, or so it seemed

Nowadays women’s new roles, salaries, opportunities, responsibilities present challenges to men and to women also

What are some of these challenges?

Some challenges

Extremely disgruntled menInsecure menIn some cases, more reasonable menIncreased incidence of Domestic

Violence Overworked womenWomen unable to find suitable partners

Men’s marginalization: Implications for Health

Some become marginal, not only to family but also to society as evidenced by:

alcohol abuse drug abuse domestic violence psychiatric problems involvement in the drug trade Underperformance in many areas of life