Social institutions have advanced and developed to become the foundations for our thoughts

beliefs, ideals and determine the way in which we interact with others and operate in within our
society. Each social institution has a specific purpose in shaping us into holistic individuals.
They also have significant effects on our society and culture. Three social institutions that will be
discussed are the family, education, and religion and how they have augmented Caribbean
society and culture.

Family by some is seen as the first and most fundamental social institution for the development
of the individual so that they can be effective members of society. The family entails all the ideas
and beliefs that people have as it relates to the upbringing of children, their socialization,
courtship and living together as a unit. Due to the migration of different racial and ethnic groups
into the Caribbean, it has resulted in the diverse family structures that we see in the region today.
It is important to note that current family structures in the Caribbean see many members of the
family leaving and travelling abroad to earn a better standard of living so that they can send
money to their family members. This has made remittances a economic driver for the Caribbean.
The single parent family is also dominant, mainly among those of African descent. It has largely
seen the male figure being absent, leaving the mother to be the matriarch of the family. Though
this happens in various socioeconomic levels, its impact on poorest groups is severe as it has
shown that the lack of the father figure has contributed to individuals not developing positively.
The difficult conditions children have to live in pushes them into criminality or simply do not
provide them with the best foundation to be successful in society. The Europeans brought the
idea of the nuclear family, while the African and the Indians carried the extended family etc. The
different ethnic families came to the Caribbean with their different and distinct traditions and
cultures that have resulted in the cultural diversity that is seen in the Caribbean today. This is
even more pronounced when individuals of different ethnicities come together to form new
families, resulting in a hybridization of different cultures.

The education system is involved with the socialization of the youngest group in our society
with values, norms, knowledge and skills that enable individuals to survive in the society.
Historically, for the Caribbean region in the era of slavery, Africans were prevented from
receiving substantial levels of education. The post colonial era has seen a change in this, with
education being seen as the fastest means by which we can advance ourselves socially in society.
Though it is still the case that some groups have limited education, governments across the
region have recognised that national economic development necessitates an educated workforce,
resulting, in increased allocations and investments in education as well as experiments with free
education for all (up to the secondary level) Without wealth or prestige, the best means of
gaining opportunity for large portion of the region is through education. Education is often
perceived as a means of social cohesion. It has been mainly through education that many ethnic
groups in the Caribbean have been able to learn how to interact with one another in society. In
the secondary education system in the Caribbean, there have been certain perceptions as to what
boys should learn versus girls. It was the backward beliefs that sons should learn the more
technical and science related subjects while daughters should learn the ‘soft subjects’ (such as
the arts and humanities) that has resulted in the present dichotomy in the Caribbean workforce.
This is now being corrected. Another aspect of the education system that has been reflected in
our culture is that of streaming. The ‘brightest’ students were put separately from those that
underperformed and proportional resources were given to them. This also translated to the
‘brightest’ being the ones that should attend university while the rest should look to work or
develop their skills. Moves are being made to create a more inclusive and advantageous
educational system for the Caribbean people.

Religion, though common in most societies has large differences dependent on your location.
This is the same in the Caribbean.