Transcript Impact of social institutions on caribbean people

Impact of social institutions on
Caribbean people
Presenter: Ms. N. Lewis
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.
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.
• 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.
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)
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
• 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.
• Indians- brought the extended family in the
form of joint household. Theirs is a strong
patriarchal family structure with an emphasis on
early marriage.
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.
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.
• 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 underemployed men can occasionally provide the kind
of support.
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.
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.
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.
• 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.