Family Types and

Union
Family Types
In The
Caribbean
The Nuclear
Family

● The nuclear
family consists of
a mother, father,
and their children
living under the
same roof.
● The children can
be biological or
adopted.
● The nuclear
family is common
in modern society
Extended Family
● The extended family consists of
members that extends beyond a
mother father and their children.
● In one form of extended family
several generations may live under
the same roof or on the family
compound.
● Such extended family may consist of
several married siblings, their
spouses, offsprings, together with
grandparents and other relatives.
● Extended families in the Caribbean
have important functions such as
providing childcare when parents
are at work or away from home
The Sibling Household

This situation An increase in the Some children are In quite a number Older children are
occurs when both number of sibling faced with this of Caribbean left behind to care
parents are absent households over situation due to the families, both for their younger
from the home and the past decades death of parents by parents migrate to siblings.
older brothers and has been brought natural causes or the United States to
or sisters take care about by death of due to desertion. improve their
of the younger both parents in a economic
ones. family due to Aids. standings.
Reorganized family or
Blended Family
● A reorganized family is formed when
one of the spouses has had an
earlier relationship which may have
been broken through death or
separation.
● One or both spouses may bring into
the new family a child or children
from former relationships. In such a
family, children may have several
half-sisters and half-brothers.
The Single Parent Family
● The Single parent family consists of only
one parent living with his/her
child/children.
Single Parent Families are formed out of the
following circumstances:
● death of one parent
● divorce or separation of parents
● A woman bearing a child for a male who
refuses to marry her or live with her
● Some single parent make deliberate
choices not to marry but to adopt children
Advantages and Disadvantages of Extended Family

Advantages Disadvantages

● More family members are able to
contribute financially
● If adults work together they can all
make sure that the children are well
supervised and adopt positive
behaviours in the family and in the
society.
● If there is not enough money earned
among the adults present, the family
may have financial problems.
● With more authority figures present in
a household conflict may arise.
Advantages and
Disadvantages of Single
Parent Family
● Children have less supervision. They
are forced to become more
independent and self-reliant, preparing
them for adult life.
● Smaller family to support.
● May have problem with supervision of
children. Unsupervised children may
engage in behaviour which can be
harmful to them and others around
them.
● May have difficulty relying on one
source of income, with no additional
financial help.
Advantages and
Disadvantages of Nuclear
Family
Advantages Disadvantages

● The child has both male Although adults of both

and female role model sexes may be present, this
does not necessarily mean
they play a meaningful role in
the child’s life.
Types of
Family Unions
in the
Caribbean
The Legal Union This family union is characterized by a formal marriage
through a religious and or legal ceremony.

Because of the diverse religious faiths and cultural origins

of the people of the Caribbean, the formal marriage
contract may be signed in the presence of a priest, pundit,
an imam, a Justice of the Peace or a person authorised in
that purpose.

A formal marriage can only be performed legally if the

parties to be married are over 18 years of age. Otherwise,
parental consent becomes necessary.
Common Law
Union
● In a common law
union a man and a
woman decide to live
under under one roof
as husband and wife
without undergoing a
religious or legal
marriage ceremony.
Common Law Union
● An obvious disadvantage of such a union
is that it lacks the binding strength which
may keep it together during stress.
● Children in such a family are termed
“illegitimate” in some countries of the
Caribbean.
● Both women and children in some
Caribbean countries suffer the added
disadvantage of having no legal claim to
inheritance.
● In Trinidad and Tobago, the law has been
amended to allow such children to claim
inheritance.
Visiting ● In this type of relationship, a woman lives
without a permanent spouse. She is
Relationship visited at intervals by the male.
● Children born of such a union are termed
illegitimate in some countries since
● The almost permanent absence of the
father from the family results in the
mother being the main person who wields
power and authority in the home.
 ● In recent times, members of the gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender
Same Sex have been clamourring for their
Union rights to have same-sex marriages
legalized. In some parts of the world
such rights have been recognized.
● In the Caribbean this position is
strongly resisted by religious groups
who view this move as highly
immoral and against religious
principles.