Carollyn Abraham-Lalla

Sociology 1002
Student #: 314103100
Final Essay
Due: 30th March, 2015

The Functions of the Caribbean Family in the Modern World

"...men and women are increasingly sharing housework, carrying out duties such as cleaning,
cooking and ironing as more women take on paid employment in the labour market." (Young and
Wilmott (1973), The Symmetrical Family). "A family is a small social group of people related by
ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same
dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or
emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011). The family is considered
the foundation of all societies. They can be formed when two people marry and become related
to each other as well as through the combination of relatives (through extended families, aunts,
uncles and grandparents).

There are many types of families which can be found in the Caribbean. The Nuclear Family
which normally consists of a man and woman who are legally united and reside in the same
house with their child or children; the Extended Family which is comprised of the Nuclear
Family as well as other family members, such as, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins.
Another type of family which can be found in the Caribbean is the Common-Law Union. It is
similar to the Nuclear Family however the adults in this relationship are not legally united. Due
to the increase in this type of union, several Caribbean governments have given legal recognition
to these unions and affords the children of such unions legitimate status as heirs to family
property.

Functionalists view the family as creating well-integrated members of society and instilling
culture into the new members of society. Family is seen as being responsible for the social
replacement of reproducing new members and offers material and emotional security and
provides care and support for the individuals who need care.

In this essay, I intend to demonstrate Young and Wilmotts's theory on "The Symmetrical
Family" and the fact that although certain aspects have been adopted by Caribbean Families and
is continuing to develop in many families, there have been a reduction in the functions performed
by the Caribbean family. I will consider the aspects of the "four basic universal functions of the
family" (George Murdock (1949)) and how the changing role of the family has contributed to the
reduction in the functions of the Caribbean family. These basic functions are: Reproduction, by
providing new members of society; being an Economic Unit by the pooling of resources with
that of the husband for its members although one's income may be considerably less than that of
the other; being a Social unit for rearing and educating the children in the family and although
there is a Division of Labour between the wife and the husband, there are many instances where
the wife continue to shoulder the majority of the burden.

Women are known to be used as a unit for procreation. So it does not matter the type of family
that a child is born into, be it Nuclear, Extended, Single-Parent, Reconstituted or Symmetrical,
providing new members of society lies solely with the woman. However, due to the introduction
of contraception, in today's world the Caribbean women now have power over their bodies. They
can limit the number of children they have which allows them the freedom to pursue higher
education and obtain employment. The Caribbean women are now delaying having children and
waiting until they have fully completed their education and are established in their jobs as well as
their homes. This ultimately means that the number of children being introduced into society
over the years have significantly decreased. No longer do women have seven to eight children
and sometimes even more. They are more concerned with giving birth to one maybe two children
so that providing the basic necessities of life will not be a burden on her and her spouse
providing that she is married or that there is a father involved in the rearing of the child. There is
also less time available for women to care for a lot of children as she as well will have to work
due to the high cost of living in the Caribbean.

Now that the Caribbean woman is employed and generating an income to help sustain the family,
her income is pooled with that of her husband or spouse (providing that there is one). The high
cost of living in the Caribbean has forced most women to become part of the labour force. It can
also be argued that as women’s earning power increases relative to men this leads to an increase
in equality of domestic chores. (Crompton (2006), Employment and the Family). The main
benefit to having both parties employed is the pooling of their resources which in turn allows the
purchase of goods and services on both parties to be less stressful and should lead to the
equitable distribution of both incomes although there are instance when this does not always
occur.

Socialization and education of the Caribbean family begins primarily with the parents but more
so with the mother. The mother is the main care giver and so provides for most of the primary
socialization of the child in the home. "The mother's role during the first seven years of a child's
life is critical to normal healthy psychological development." (Bowlby (1952), Maternal Care
and Mental Health). Bowlby's research also showed that some boys raised in orphanages had
developed psychopathic personalities s a result of the lack of a mother's love. In the Caribbean
today, the mother continues to remain the initial and primary caregiver however when the child
is a few months old, the day to day caring of the child is handled by a baby sitter or close family
member such as a grandmother or aunt as a result of the mother having to return to work at the
end of her maternity leave. The child is then placed in school at the age of three years and
continues in school till the age eighteen years. There are many instances where the primary care
for the child is left up to the school with the parents taking a minimum interest into the well
being of their child. Social psychologist, Ramesh Deosaran, places much of the blame on the
family for the growing juvenile delinquency rates observed in the Trinidad and Tobago society
(2004, unpublished comments in the Trinidad and Tobago Senate).

Although there continues to be a Division of Labour between husbands and wives, research
suggests that there has been a change from segregated to integrated roles in the family. Although
the wife still has the primary responsibility for house work and caring for the children, husbands
have become more involved,
often washing clothes, ironing and sharing other domestic duties. Husbands and wives also share
the responsibility for making decisions that affect the family, such as, household expenses and
the education of the children. However there are some families where the wife still shoulder the
burden of caring for the home and the children as well as working outside of the home to earn an
income. It is noted that although women in the Caribbean are employed and are compensated for
their work in their jobs they also have to undertake a "Dual Burden". (Ferri and Smith- found
increased employment of women has lead to little increase in household equality). Many
feminists argue that the increase in women working has simply increased the burden of women
and men benefit from the extra income and the household responsibility still falls on the women.

In the Caribbean today it appears as though economic changes from traditional to modern forms
are bringing with them both negative and positive effects on family life. There have been
suggestions that modern families are becoming more child-centered. Parents have been receiving
assistance in the areas of education and health care to assist in the raising of their children. Laws
are also being enacted to protect and preserve the well-being of children and women. (Domestic
and Violence Act of 1999, Trinidad and Tobago). So, although, Talcott Parsons has suggested
that with increasing institutional role specialization in modern societies, the family has taken on
fewer functions; governments and other interested parties are trying to curb the negative aspects
that has become apparent with the role specialization in modern societies by increasing and
introducing the number of social workers and school counsellors in both hospitals and schools as
well as providing schools and day care facilities to assist families in performing some of its many
traditional functions.
Bibliography:
Source: Boundless. “The Functionalist Perspective.” Boundless Sociology. Boundless, 27 Jun.
2014. Accessed 28 March, 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-
sociology-textbook/family-12/the-sociological-perspective-on-the-family-93/the-functionalist-
perspective-529-6774/

http://www.slideshare.net/ruth2627/revision-as?related=1- Accessed 29 March, 2015

http://ceducate.blogspot.com/2013/06/changes-in-roles-of-family-members-in_10.html -
Accessed 29 March, 2015.

https://www.questia.com/read/3730655/maternal-care-and-mental-health - Accessed 30 March,

2015

The University of the West Indies. Introduction to Sociology, Unit 7: Family, Sessions 1 - 4,
Pages 243 - 282

Haralambos, M., Holburn, M. and Herald, R. 2004 Conjugal roles. In Sociology, Themes and
Perspectives (6th Edn.) London: Harper-Collins. pp. 508-510