THE FAMILY

What is a
family?
FAMILY

A family is a group of people related by blood,

marriage or adoption and who share a common
household or residence and are dependent on one
another.
TYPES OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
CONSANGUINE CONJUGAL

Family members who are related to one another Family members who are related to one another
by blood are said to have consanguine by marriage.
relationship. Family members who are related to
each other by blood are called your kin.
TYPES OF FAMILIES
NUCLEAR EXTENDED

A family including both parents and their An extended family is a family that

child/children. extends beyond the nuclear family,
consisting of parents like father, mother, and
their children, aunts, uncles, grandparents,
and cousins, all living in the same
household.
TYPES OF FAMILY (CONTINUED)
Single-parent family Reconstructed family

A family unit consisting of only one parent and A family unit made up of two adults and their
his/her child/children. children from previous relationships.
TYPES OF FAMILIES (CONTINUED)
JOINT

A joint family is a type of extended family in which children of a family get married and bring
their new families to live together with their parents.
Eg. Mark and Mary live with their son Mike. Mike reaches adult age and gets married to a girl
named Maria. If Mark brings Maria to live in the same household with him and his parents,
they will now be considered a joint family.

SIBLING FAMILY
A sibling family  is a family unit where by the eldest sibling is the head or breadwinner of the
household in the event that both parents are permanently absent.
Functions of the Family

Procreation
Satisfaction of Emotional Needs

Satisfaction of Economic Needs

Socialization
FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
1. PROCREATION – Procreation means reproduction. Families reproduce and introduce new members to the human race. 
2. SOCIALIZATION – Socialization is the process by which people learn to behave in a manner that is acceptable to the
family, group, and/or society in which they exist. The socialization process includes the transmission of culture as well as the
teaching of the society’s norms and values.
3. SATISFACTION OF ECONOMIC NEEDS – The family is responsible for providing the basic economic needs of food,
shelter and clothing for all of its members. 
4. SATISFACTION OF EMOTIONAL NEEDS – Human beings are social animals. As such, being loved and feeling as if we
are an important member of a group of people is important for our sense of well-being and happiness.
5. CULTURE – The transmission of culture from one generation to the other for its' survival.
FAMILY AUTHORITY
Patriarchal family – Family arrangement in which authority lies with the father.
Matriarchal family - Family arrangement in which authority lies with the mother.
Equalitarian family – family arrangement in which authority is shared equally between mother and father.
Matrifocal family – family unit which is headed by a mother and lacks a father permanently or for an extended period of
time.
Patrifocal family - family unit which is headed by a father and lacks a mother permanently or for an extended period of
time.
Patrilocal family - where the mother and father or husband and wife resides with the parents of the husband 
Matrilocal family – where the mother and father or husband and wife resides with the parents of the wife
Neolocal – The husband and wife are going to reside by themselves. 
Patrilineal – It is the line of descendant tracing of the male line of the family 
Matrilineal - It is the line of descendant tracing of the female line of the family 
Bilineal – It is the line of descendant tracing of both male and female lines of the family.
Breadwinner – The member or members of the family who provides financial support for the family.
HOW FAMILIES ARE FORMED
Families in the Caribbean are formed in a variety of ways. Some people begin as friends, begin a
romantic relationship and then decide to get married. Others begin with a sexual relationship and move
on to a romantic relationship afterward. 
The process where a couple is getting to know each other is referred to as Courtship or courting. 
However, if a family is to fulfil all the functions previously discussed in this module, the best practice way
to go about it is with family planning. Family planning refers to families deciding before when to have
children and how many children they want to have being born into it. This is in contrast to families who
do not plan but are surprised by accidental children after sexual intercourse. 
In starting a family some couples make even adopt a child.
Family Type Advantages
Extended family Individual financial burdens are
reduced as more members can
contribute to finances
Shared responsibility for
household chores and the care of
children and elderly
Single-Parent Family Children can grow to become
more independent and self-reliant
Nuclear Two sources of income
Both male and female role models involved in the child’s life
for children
Love and care of both parents 
Disadvantages
With more elders in the home,
lines of authority can become
blurred and lead to conflict
Individuals sometimes have to
sacrifice privacy for the sake of
the family
One source of income as opposed
to two can be a burden
Responsibility for supervising
children and household chores
falls on one person
Lack of love and care from one
parent 
Although both parents are present,
it does not mean both are actively
Family Planning Methods
Families that do engage in family planning use contraceptives as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Type of Contraception Examples

Natural methods “Rhythm” method (the “pull-out” method)
Billing Ovulation
Sterilization Tubal Ligation
Vasectomy
Intrauterine Copper T or
Hormonal Intrauterine Devices (IUDs)
Hormonal Methods The Pill
Injection
Barrier Methods Condoms
Diaphragm
Cervical Cap
Female Condom
WHAT IS
MARRIAGE?

Marriage is the legal union of a man

and a woman for which a marriage
certificate is obtained.
TYPES OF MARRIAGES
1. Monogamy - the practice of being married to only one person
2. Polygamy – the practice of having multiple husbands or wives at the same time
◦  Polyandry – this is where one woman has multiple husbands at the same time
◦  Polygyny – this is where one man has multiple wives at the same time
3.    Bigamy – The criminal offence of marrying a person while still being married to another person.

Choosing a Partner 

1. Endogamy – The practice of choosing a life partner within a defined group such as religion or ethnicity
2. Exogamy – The practice of choosing a life partner outside of one's group such as class or tribe
 Common Law / Consensual Union – the union of a man and
woman living under a common roof as husband and wife for more
than 3 years without being legally married.

Visiting relationship - where a man or woman lives without a

permanent spouse. She is visited at intervals by a male for the
purpose of a sexual relationship, they do not share a common

TYPES OF residence.

UNIONS Shotgun marriage - This is where a young couple gets married

immediately due to becoming pregnant. They are either forced by
parents or it is against the beliefs of their religious institutions to
have children out of wedlock.

Arranged marriage 
LAWS THAT PROTECT THE FAMILY
1. Divorce law – main reason persons apply to a law courts for a divorce in the Caribbean is for irreconcilable differences. Other reasons may include
infidelity and abuse.
2. Inheritance - When a person dies, someone has to deal with the affairs of the deceased. This person(s) is either named in the Will or is usually the
next of kin if there is no valid Will. This person is legally responsible for collecting any money, paying any debts and correctly distributing the
estate to those people entitled: the “beneficiaries”.
3. Child Protection – most countries in the region have laws for the protection of the child/children. This legislation is enforced through law courts,
for e.g. the registration and nationality of a child, protection from abuse and neglect, provision for disability and other children with special needs,
legal for school, sexual relations, employment & marriage.
4. Legal separation - a court-ordered arrangement which a couple ask the court to allow them to live separate lives whereby, ending their marriage and
cannot remarry unless they divorce. The length of time required for a legal separation is usually between 6 months to 2 years. People choose legal
separation as an alternative to divorce for a variety of reasons, such as:
◦ religious beliefs
◦ a desire to keep the family together legally for the sake of children
◦ the need for one spouse to keep the health insurance benefits that you lose with a divorce, a simple aversion to divorcing despite the desire to live
separate lives.
5.      Domestic violence - 
DIVORCE
Divorce refers to the legal termination of a marriage. Because marriage is a legal union between a man and a woman (in most of the Caribbean), a
married couple can only exit the union in a similar fashion to how they entered it – via a legal process. Marriage laws determine the process by which
a legal union can be dissolved.

WHY DO PEOPLE GET DIVORCED?

Married couples end their marriages for a variety of reasons, including:
1. Financial problems
2. Neglect and loneliness
3. Abuse 
4. Infidelity
5. Unrealistic expectations
6. Class conflict
7. Youthful marriage

Annulment is the ending of a marriage due to legal procedure that declares it invalid. Unlike Divorce, the effect of declaring a marriage as void
means that it was void at the time it was entered. Annulment is only granted on showing grounds of incest or insanity.
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE
1. Infidelity – cheating or being unfaithful
2. Abuse – physical, verbal or domestic 
3. Irreconcilable differences
4. Legal Separation or living apart for a period of more than two years with the consent of both parties
5. Legal Separation or living apart for a period of five years 

More info: Law made simple: An introduction to obtaining a divorce

WHAT COURTS CONSIDER IN A DIVORCE

6. Income of parties involved to pay alimony 
7. Financial responsibilities of both parties
8. Contributions of both parties towards marital assets – house, car and land or children
9. Age of parties and their children
10. Health of the parties involved
11. How divorce will affect earning potential of both parties
DIVORCE AND THE LAW
In cases of divorce, if the parties involved cannot mutually agree on how the following concerns will be addressed, the court has
the power to determine them on their behalf:

1. Alimony – This refers to the amount of money to be paid by the person who earns the most in the marriage to the person
than earns less. Courts determine whether alimony should be paid and by whom.
2. Maintenance – this refers to a lumpsum or periodic payments of money by the parent who does not have custody of a child
to the parent who does. The purpose of maintenance is to satisfy the day-to-day expenses of childcare and their general
upkeep. Maintenance is paid up until the child reaches the age of 18. 
3. Custody – the court determines who gets custody of the child or children based on who is better suited for the care of the
child. The party who does not get custody of the child is usually granted visitation rights. 
4. Inheritance - 
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE
HOME
ROLES RESPONSIBILITIES

Parents - Meeting the basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing

for their children.
- Fulfilling all the functions of a family

Children - Obey parents

- assist with household chores
- obtain an education
Grandparents - Assist parents with supervising of children
- Transmit family culture
- Offer wisdom acquired over many years for the
raising of children, managing of finances and other
family concerns
ROLE OF PARENTS 
◦ Acquire education or skills for employment to provide stable
income for economic satisfaction
◦ Ensure family planning – size of family shouldn’t
outgrow financial ability.
◦ Build emotional stability and patience to raise a child for
emotional satisfaction 
◦ Must be able to communicate.
◦ Must be able to care for children of different ages.
◦ Manage time efficiently for socialization, love, care.
◦ Provide health, safe, peaceful, educational environment
◦ Must be healthy, drug free and free of diseases
◦ Must know first aid techniques
◦ Provide a value system or religious faith for child.
Effective parenting
skills
◦ Problem solving skills-  good parents are
proactive and put systems in place before
accidents occur
◦ Communication skills – effective communication
is key to a good relationship with your child
◦ Disciplinary skills – setting rules, regulations,
punishments and rewards
◦ Socialization skills
◦ Demonstration of love
◦ Knowledge on good nutrition 
◦ Money management 
Changing roles in the family
The factors that contributed to the changing roles of family members in the Caribbean include:
1. Industrialization – the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries in the Europe and the United states transformed society from being
based in agriculture to one being based on manufacturing. Before the revolution, families tended to be large in order to provide labour for their
own agricultural pursuits, but with industrialization, families moved away from being extended families to being more nuclear as young adults
leave their homes for work in factories and offices. Women were also able to engage in jobs traditionally reserved for men. Growth of childcare
centres and nurseries.
2. Education – Since the end of slavery, education has been made more and more accessible to more and more people, leading to both men and
women acquiring higher levels of education and giving them the ability to find jobs outside of the home or on a farm. This lead to both parents
being away from home for a period of time, leading to the growth of child-care centres for children and geriatric homes for the elderly.  
3. Increased standard of living -  Greater wealth lead to the prevalence of nuclear families as people earned extra money they could use to
build places of their own. 
4. Technology – news was brought to homes, education about women's rights encouraged other women to demand equal rights as men at home
and in the workplace. This caused establishment of the women's rights organization in the Caribbean. It was also responsible for changes in
leisure activities in families.
5. Women’s rights movements -  Since the 1960s, women have struggled for equality in pay for similar jobs performed by men and
educational opportunities. Women now play a greater role in home leadership. 
Results of changing roles in the Caribbean
family 
Positive
◦ More equality between the sexes means an
egalitarian approach to decision making by
parents in the home
◦ Families become less insular, leading to more
integration with other cultures in society
◦ Development of self esteem and confidence
of women/
independence of women
Negative
◦ “Double burden” for women who work but are still
expected to play the traditional role of homemaker 
◦ Decrease in transmission of family culture as
families depend on external agencies to supervise
children when not around
◦ “Identity crisis” where we struggle internally to
know which roles to fulfil at any given point in
time. E.g. men being asked to be play both the
traditional and modern masculine roles
◦ Marginalisation of the male;
◦ Role conflict;
Male marginalization – Myth or Reality?
“Marginalization comprises those processes by which individuals and groups are ignored or relegated to the sidelines of
political debate, social negotiation, and economic bargaining—and kept there.” – Encyclopedia.com

Examples of groups of people who have been marginalized in the history of the world include:
1. Enslaved Africans
2. Indentured East Indians
3. Members of the LGBT Community
4. Shouter Baptists 
5. Rastafari

Class discussion: Are men marginalized in society? If so, in what ways are they marginalized? 
It is believed that men are being marginalized because women and are heads of organizations and in control of a staff
which is predominantly males.
In some instances, research are finding that wives in the family earning higher salary their husbands. Men must therefore
take more active role in performing household chores.
Therefore, both in the home and workplace, there is a changing role in power and control which males previously
commanded causing role conflicts.
Social Issues and Problems
Social issues are social concerns that inspire discussion and debate within a society. These concerns are not necessarily negative.
Social problems refer to unwanted conditions, behaviours and systems in a given society.
Social issues and social problems left unaddressed have the potential to cause harm to members of a society. As such, societies try figuring out solutions to the many issues and
problems facing them.
1. Some issues and problems facing Caribbean societies today include:
2. Sexually transmitted infections
3. Street children
4. Incest 
5. Teenage pregnancy
6. Abortion 
7. Promiscuity 
8. Substance abuse
9. Abuse – physical, emotional, verbal, sexual 
10. Domestic Violence
11. Child Abuse
12. Human Trafficking
13. Juvenile Delinquency
14. Suicide
15. Poverty
16. Desertion,
17. Alternative life styles
18. Care and concern for the aged and those with special needs.
STIs in the Caribbean
According to the United Nations Population Fund reports that “The Caribbean has the highest incidence rate of reported AIDS cases in the Americas. With between 350,000
and 590,000 Caribbean people living with HIV/AIDS, the region has an adult HIV prevalence rate between 1.9% and 3.1%, second only to Africa (7.5% and 8.5%).”

The prevalence of HIV/AIDs in the Caribbean is fueled by the following factors:

- Socio-cultural and religious taboos.

- Healthcare deficiencies – In 2019, just 44% of them were on antiretroviral therapy

- Lifestyle issues - substance abuse, influences from external media, culture (tourism) with a growing brand name culture and modern information technology

- Lack of individual skills - negotiation, creation and maintenance of healthy human relationships, sex education and protective behaviours

- Economic factors – disparities in income distribution within and between countries, economic hardship within a consumption market
Abuse
Abuse refers to (1) the improper, illegal or harmful use of a substance and (2) the physical, sexual or phycological maltreatment
of a person.

FORMS OF ABUSE
- Substance abuse – the use of legal and illegal substances to the detriment of yourself and/or other people
- Child Abuse – the maltreatment or injury of a child by an adult or adults. 
- Domestic abuse – the maltreatment or injury of one member of a family or household against another
- Verbal Abuse – the use of words to harm another person 
- Physical abuse – the use of physical force to harm another person
- Financial abuse – the controlling of another person’s access to money and resources to limit their ability to be independent
- Sexual abuse – when one person uses physical force, threats or other means to engage a person in sexual activity without their
consent
Strategies for dealing with social problems
What are the best ways that Caribbean countries can go about addressing the social problems that we face?
1. Education
2. Activism
3. Passing laws and policies
4. Investing money into groups working to solve social problems