1. Impact of social institutions on Caribbean people Presenter: Ms. N. Lewis

2. At the end of the lesson, students should be able to: Key concepts: Social institutions, social organizations, norms, values, role, status and socialization; Distinguish between the concepts of social organization and social institutions; Evaluate the historical background of the Caribbean family and its contribution to types in the Caribbean.

3. Definition of key terms Social institutions- embody all the ideas and beliefs of members of the society about how they think their lives should be organized. Social organizations- are the concrete structured patterns in social life based on the ideas and beliefs of members of the society.

4. Socialization is the process through which the cherished ideas and beliefs of one generation becomes apart of the next generation. Norms –acceptable standards of the society Status-s a label identifying one’s social position. Role- a set of behaviours expected of one’s status.

5. The social institution of the family This social institution represents the ideas and beliefs that people have about rearing children and socializing them into the norms of the family. “ The family is a social group characterized by a common co-operation and reproduction.” ( Murdock, 1949)

6. The historical context of the Caribbean family The ways that the kalinagos and Tainos used to nurture the younger members of their society have all but disappeared from mainstream ideas about family today. African peoples during slavery preserved family

7. Life through an extended network of support, but it was not necessary based on marriage. Family life centered around the mother and the extended kin. Europeans brought the dominant idea of the nuclear family to the Caribbean. Their ideas became entrenched in the society through colonial rule yet majority of the people lived in matrifocal families.

8. Indians- brought the extended family in the form of joint household. Theirs is a strong patriarchal family structure with an emphasis on early marriage.

9. Reasons for Caribbean Family Forms Caribbean family forms continue to be extremely diverse- single parents, common law and visiting relationships. African Retention- matrifocal households are typical of West Africa where polygamy is widely practised and a husband accommodates his wives in separate households. Slavery- the unions and practices that the enslaved were forced to adopt on the plantations influenced the family forms of today.

10. Reasons for Caribbean Family Forms Cont’d Marriage was rare, cohabitation was irregular and life was unpredictable, so that stable families could not develop. Children remained with their mothers and European laws and sanctions discouraged marriage between races or between enslaved persons. Economic Thesis- majority of the family forms are found mainly among the poorer classes.

11. Based on the economic thesis the poor unemployed and underemployed women are willing to get involved in sexual relationships for financial reasons. Poor unemployed and under- employed men can occasionally provide the kind of support.

12. Impact of the family on Caribbean society and culture Individuals- the ideas and beliefs about family differs for individuals. For example, in Indian families where the structure is patriarchal, the man is the authoritarian figure while women and girls are subordinate no matter the level of education attained. Groups- the idea of kinship differs in respective groups below: African- kinship is extended along bloodline of the family.

13. Impact of the family Cont’d Muslim families- the issues of kinship and the extended family include the practice of polygamy which is unlawful in the Caribbean. As a result of such beliefs some are marginalized and scrutinized. Women- are viewed as homemakers and caregivers. Although women work outside the home today they come home to do a “ second shift” of taking care of the family.

14. Impact of the family on social institutions Family- the nuclear family which was deemed the ideal family type is changing to be more accepting of the single, extended and same sex families. The ideas of procreation is changing from “vitro” family to that of a sperm donor or one being a surrogate mother. The idea of illegitimate children has changed to give those born out of wedlock the same privileges as those born within marriage.

15. Education- educators are now calling on the family to take a proactive role in the education of their children as this is crucial for their success. Parents from low- socioeconomic background tend to care little about their children’s education. Working class parents have little time to devote to the social wellbeing of their children.