We should all be aware of the stereotypes that exist in our society. One of the most prominent is that of the absent father or male figure of the Caribbean household. Despite this there are many examples of the opposite taking place. For example, the social networking site Facebook plays host to "Caribbean Man" - a space for Caribbean men to talk about who they are, who they want to be and what it means for Caribbean culture. Participants are made up of proud fathers and male role modes of communities in the Caribbean.
The other end of the spectrum is that of Matriarchal/Female lead households. Many simply expect that a single parent family will be lead by a female individual. It is believed that children within such a situation may not have a male role model with which to learn societal responsibilities.
Comment on the impact of absentee males and the matriarchal/female led household for modern day society in the Caribbean.
Here's a brief reading on Caribbean Family's - http://family.jrank.org/pages/208/Caribbean-Families-Conclusion.html
Here's a brief reading on Caribbean Family's - http://family.jrank.org/pages/208/Caribbean-Families-Conclusion.html
Today in the Caribbean society we can see all around the lack of or absence of a male figure in the household. This though to some people may be a little issue can be a major problem to the society as a whole. Fathers play a distinguishingly very significant role in the home that a female led household just can’t accomplish. A father is very important in the home because the male child in particular has a close eye on him. And in later years to come may develop similar traits of their father. Fathers play a role to develop the child to become independent in society, develop breadwinner habits in other terms be the provider. To better say a father moulds and shapes the ‘manly’ behaviour of the child.
ReplyDeleteOne major reason due to the absence of a male figure in modern day society households in the Caribbean is because of previous times mainly slavery. The man had been developed as inferior an today in society to some women this is still so therefore they decide to themselves it is best to raise their child on their own. Hence taking out the males from the picture.
This leads to a profound amount of problems to the child having a matriarchal led home. The male child grows up to be soft and dependent on other persons in major cases cannot see themselves as the breadwinners. The girl children on the other hand grow up seeing the male as being inferior as well an may not want a relationship hence this can affect the countries birth rate significantly. Therefore as we can see having a female led household in place of a male led home had and is having a significantly negative effect on the Caribbean society today.
Joshua Dhanpaul
812001979
Throughout the Caribbean today, one can see that there is a shift away from the traditional extended and nuclear-type family to more matrairchal led households.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of absentee males dates back to the days of the plantation economy. African slaves were not allowed to have families because it was illegal. If an enslaved couple deceided to have children, the offspring would have to grow up with his/her mother because males and females were housed seperately on the estates. The issue of matriarchal led households was more common amongst the Africans as opposed to the Indian indentured immigrants who were, unlike slaves, allowed to have a family where both parents are present simultaneously.
Fathers play a vital role in the home. They are seen as the traditional breadwinners of the households. A father also acts as a role model for his children, especially for boys. When there is a masculine absence, there is no one for these boys to look up to. There isn't anyone to teach them about the traditional roles of fathers and instill good morals and values into them. Because of this problem, there are many social consequences to be faced such as increased criminal activities and gang violence. Also, young males raised in a female led household starts to develop feminine characteristics (because of a male absence) and when they reach adulthood, they are taken advantage of by females, creating in their minds a picture that males are inferior to females, thus they cannot perform traditional masculine roles in society. Another consequence is that some young males see single parent households as a norm and when they get older, they tend to do the same, resulting in a continuous cycle which can have devastating negative effects for the Caribbean region in the future.
Vishram Bickaree
812003898
In the Caribbean region, the issue of absentee fathers has become a huge social issue especially in modern times. Absence of fathers and "father" figures are predominant in the case of persons of African descent as it stems from the slavery period, in which slaves were not allowed to marry or live together as family units (however indentured labourers were allowed to marry and live as a family). Hence it is as a result of this "fatherlessness" that the women had to take full responsibility of the children, creating a matriarchal families.
ReplyDeleteThese matriarchal family structures have evolved from being a necessary adaptation, to a structure that deems males unnecessary and as the weaker gender in a point of view of some persons. However the role of the male in the family is indeed important. it is more so important in the case of young boys, who need their father to set the example for them to emulate and learn certain values, especially in family life and responsibilities, as males have typically been seen as breadwinners and authority figure in most cultures. however due to absence of fathers in the past and present,many young men are unproductive, go astray and sometimes are unruly, also not knowing how to hold a family, continue the cycle of absentee fathers. Girls too need the presence of their father, in order to be aware of how a man should treat a woman, and to show them that they deserve to be respected, hence preventing them from getting into abusive relationships, which stem more social problems.
AMIT SOOKOO
I.D# 812001643
ReplyDeleteIn the Caribbean, matriarchies / mother centered societies which stemmed from slavery days are based on maternal values such as car-taking and nurturing. Motherliness cares for all beings; however, different they may be a good mother will care for her children embracing their diversity. If a man in a matriarchal society desires to acquire status among his peers, then he must be like “a good mother.” Studies show that in the Caribbean, children without fathers in their lives are five times more likely to end up in prison, run away from home to live on the street or with relatives or are more likely to be exposed to juvenile delinquency and substance use. The primary reason why families suffer is because fathers are absent either because they want nothing to do with their children or they are in jail or incarcerated. This absence, however, impacts critically on the development of their sons and daughters. Due to the absence of father’s in the family there had been a wide spread abuse in the family unit form, now from grown male children who did not have a father in the home. When a father is removed from the home due to whatever circumstances, it leaves the majority of the parenting if not all too single mothers. Where the single mom must generally earn the living to support the children, even with child support, it can be difficult. So the single mom is sometimes out working more than one job, leaving much of the primary socialization to babysitters or siblings.
Female children, are also affected as they tend to go from relationship to relationship looking for love from a male figure they didn’t receive while growing up because of the absence of the father. I am a product of this kind of abuse. At a tender age, I never knew my father neither had I that physical or emotional support of a male figure during my developing years. Due to this, I was unsure as to what qualities to look for in a companion and relied on my own fantasies to find companionship only to be disappointed. Many may choose to debate the cause of these terrible social consequences. However, clearly there is a connection between the absent father and all these catastrophic results that have scarred the family and our society. And it’s getting worst, immediate action should be taken to address this major issue of our time.
Karina Farrell
ID#812117616
There are many families today where the dominant parent is the female, and this isn’t new to our Caribbean. In fact this phenomenon dates back to the plantation era where the slaves did not live with their wives because they were housed separately on the estates. This resulted in the female slaves having to take care of the children and having to work on the plantation. This matriarchal way of this has continued on for ages and is seen today within the Caribbean society. This can have many disadvantages for the children in the Caribbean society. For example, the male child, as he is growing up will have no idea of his role in the household if there is no father within the household. He would more cling to the mother’s teachings sometimes allowing him to become ‘soft’. And in doing this since he does not known the male ways, when he has children, he does not know what to teach them or how to treat a female and to take care of them. But this does not just prove to be a disadvantage for boys.
ReplyDeleteFemale children, having no father figure will sometimes not know how they are to be treated and respected by a male. If they don’t have this knowledge, many disrespectful males can take advantage of them, either by abuse, rape, prostitution and other factors. Another one should consider is the wives of these families. Some males, not having a father figure in their life, run away from the challenge of parenting, leaving the female alone and having to do all the work. This can leave them feeling unloved, insecure and fearful of having another husband or male into their life. This needs to be addressed for the growing of our Caribbean
Kareem Garvin
ID: 812002898
Absentee males are a major issue affecting Caribbean society and households today. There is alarming evidence all over the region that shows various households being headed by a single parent (mother) and that raises the question, where are the fathers? A child is born from the consummation of both man and woman. The presence of these two entities in his/her life is of remarkable importance and it is taken for granted everyday that the father is absent. It is a massive strain for a woman to assume both mother and father roles in a single parent family structure. This is because she would have to be the bread winner as well as the nurturer and this can be stressful for her and her children. Despite her efforts, it is virtually impossible to fully succeed at this task, leaving some emptiness in the house hold that only a father could fill.
ReplyDeleteA daughter who knows the love and affection of the first man in her life, her father, is less likely to enter into problems with her male counterparts in the future. He would teach her what to accept and what to discard in the dating world and how she is to be treated as a respectable young woman. A boy/young man, who is guided by his father for his entire life, would grow up knowing what his responsibilities are as a man to his family and to his wife. He would be a role model for his son and instil within him certain values that he would pass on to his son and so forth. Without this father figure involved in the lives of these children, there is a possibility that the cycle would remain for generations to come, unfortunately becoming the norm in today’s Caribbean society.
I am not making the point that all children who have absentee fathers are doomed to a life of hopelessness and misery; I am however, making the point that fathers play an integral role in the upbringing of their children in this modern day Caribbean society.
Maria Joseph
ID #812001783
Today there are more and more single parent homes where the woman is the head of these homes. This is an alarming trend that is taking place in our Caribbean society. Many males are neglecting their duties as a father and as the breadwinner of the families. This has in turn lead to many negative effects in today's society. As was said before, the main roles of the father in the family is to be the breadwinner,a role model to his children (especially his son), to protect his family and also to discipline. The mother's main role is to be the primary caretaker of the family which includes the main responsibilities of taking care of the children and being the primary nurturer.
ReplyDeleteWhen a man abandons his family, it forces the woman to become the head of the family. When this happens she now has to take on the added role of being the breadwinner of the family. As a result of this the children may be left without supervision and may start committing illegal acts. With the father not there and the mother hardly around there is no one to discipline them which may lead to them becoming criminals. Now that the mother is hardly home, the children may not be getting the love that they crave and require. This will in turn lead them to seek it else where. The sons may fall into the wrong company and turn to crime while the daughters may be easily fooled by a young man who pretends to love them. This may lead to teenage pregnancies, rape and abuse.
Young boys also look to their fathers as role models. When they see that their fathers have abandoned their family they may think that is the norm. As a result of this, when they get their own family they may do the same thing and abandon there's, thus carrying on the cycle.
Nigel Birbal
809001049
In Today's world there are many matriarchal households in the Caribbean. This is very concerning and is a major issue faced in the Caribbean today, as a result of these females becomes the bread winner in the holds and work hard to make ends meet. The absence of the male has led to many problems faced by society today, as there is no physical male presence in the house holds to help nurture, develop and instill good morals and values as the male is seen as dominant and is looked up.
ReplyDeleteSince there is only a female presence in the household the male child has no role model to set example and also no footsteps for him to follow in, this causes the child to find a role model or to join a gang in which he feels a sense of love and togetherness. When this child grows up he is going to put in play what he has learnt which is not to be there for his children. This therefore is seen as the young male carrying on the traits of his father.
This act of the male being absent in the household has stemmed from the slavery days, as where the males were not allowed to have families and where separated from there wife and children. This mentality has therefore been brought fought and is depriving young males of there role model which plays and important part in this Childs development.
Stephon McCarthy
I.D-812002247
In the Caribbean today, matriarchal families are more present than nuclear and extended families. This family structure exists mostly with the African people because it stems from the era of slavery, where Africans were derived of the right to have relationships. This resulted in women being left to fight their own battles. During indentureship, the labourers were given the right to gather and form a family, but now many men grow with the ideology that it is the norm for a woman to take care of her offspring. Understanding the importance of a male figure being present in every Caribbean household is very important. Modern times have arrived, and new thinking should be introduced. People should look at the consequences of the absence of a father in the home. Some of these may include; child being influenced by peer pressure, involved in juvenile delinquency, sexual harassment and the use of illegal drugs. These activities may occur due to several reasons. The absence of the father is the main reason since the children (mainly young males) do not have a role model to follow suite of. Men are important to the household since they teach the young ones the positive values and cultures that would result in a flourishing future.
ReplyDeleteMothers nowadays are striving to find solutions to overcome the most common; financial crisis. This is rigorously affecting the development of all Caribbean territories since young female children who have experienced the ruthlessness of modern time fathers are afraid to get involved in situations which may affect their future similarly. However, many people who are unknowledgeable about these situations find themselves in it; more children are being produced resulting in increased poverty leading to a complete fall in the development of the Caribbean economy.
STEPHANIE JAGDEO
812001988
Fathers play and essential role in the caretaking and development of their children in many aspects of their life. Some children may have the privilege to have a paternal figure in the household as compared to others, not as fortunate. The Caribbean family life reflects more of an African biased family life rather than most Indian and Chinese structures of the family who make up the majority races of the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteThis had came into practice ever since the plantation dates back in the 1800’s where the plantation owners had split up African families father and mother spit and left in the care of the mother in fear that the father would step up to his paternal responsibilities and which would present adverse effects on the plantation system of any revolts or uprising. In other words they were trying to suppress the leadership roles generated by fathers on the family to prevent uprising or morale and confidence. Through generations that have passed we can still see this family structure where the father is absent from the family life leaving most responsibilities to the mother and other family members. ”80 – 90% of family structures came from an African Caribbean background.” Whilst other families may have different structures due to strict tradition such as the Indians where fathers are needed for disciplinary actions and primary decision maker or such as the Chinese where the father is needed for motivational support for upbringing of their children for a more stable future.
Primarily the effects of absenteeism of a paternal figure in a family may have its effects on certain aspects such as ; Poverty ( Father absent homes are almost 4 times likely to suffer from poverty due to lack of finical support), Emotional and Behavioral Problems ( A mothers relationship changes with the child after the age of 3 by which a solid paternal figure is needed for disciplinary actions and measures o prevent delinquency and aggressive behaviors in children .) , Maternal and Child Health Care ( Where-by the father provides High Quality interaction with mother and child during early stages that is needed for adequate development and reduced stress and the with father’s presence there could be a higher chance of adequate health care financed by him.) , Crime ( Lack of proper discipline , usually the fathers are the ones with less tolerance to unacceptable behavior and demand more form children so they condition acceptable behavior to society, primarily through fear and respect.) , Sexual Activity and Teenage Pregnancy ( Female children lack adequate relationship with their fathers. “Young women included that they have difficulty forming a healthy relationship with a male counterpart or whom they are associated with.” The needed affection and attention in which they needed from a father figure was not provided hence lack of adequate knowledge of how to develop a strong/ healthy relationship/ bond with males which may make them vulnerable to abuse. By which can also have its chain-link of adverse effects).
Mothers cannot provide everything for a child, which may be obvious to state. But does not mean that she cannot maintain a proper standard of life for the family. Due to changing views of women and less suppression practiced by various religions, the access to education for women more and more frequent where women are becoming more independent and have less need for the support of a husband (As stated in previous tradition). Most negative views of a female led household care from the Eurocentric view of a family structure, the Nuclear Family. Nevertheless to say both the a maternal and paternal figure is needed for solid development and stable family life to set a proper example for generations ahead, not leaving the responsibility of conditioning younger generations solely to Secondary Socialization.
Sources: www.fatherhood.org/media/concequences-of-father-absence-statistics.
Student Name: Kristien Jebodsingh
Student ID : 812001372
There is a lack of male/father figures in the household’s in the Caribbean society today. This is due to a decrease in traditional, extended and nuclear family types to more of matriarchal led households. Matriarchal headed household is where the female/women take total responsibility for providing economic support; assume dominance and head of the house in the absence of male partners/fathers. Many males do not want to take responsibility for being a role models and the bread winner for their children and family; hence they leave thus leaving the mother to fend for herself and her children. This dates back to the plantation era where the slaves did not live with their wives because they were housed separately on the estates. Today’s young males who grow up with no male father or role model around to show them what are there responsibly of a male seek it elsewhere from the wrong company. This can cause these young boys to commit crimes and also to think that this is normal to grow up without a father and he may abandon his own children too. On the other hand girls who grow up in matriarchal homes will never know how a male suppose to treat her due to not seeing their mother with any males and may think that not having a male around is normal, also they may be affected so badly that they go from relationship to relationship looking for love they never got from their fathers. By not having male’s father figure in the household this is affecting both girls and boys negatively in the family which can have a rippling effect on the development of the Caribbean society
ReplyDeleteNAME:ANDREA GOSINE
#:812001885
In Caribbean society today there is a common view that the nuclear family is the ideal type of family structure in which we cherish and value. However it s seen that there is an abundance of single parent families within the Caribbean and usually the father is the parent who is missing. The absence of the father or male role model within a family can have severe impacts on children of our society today. It is especially imperative for a male child to have a father or at least a male model in his life because that is the only way that he can truly know what it means to be a man. There are certain norms, values and behavioral patterns which can only be passed down from a father figure to a young male, since these children usually learn what being a man is by observing another adult male that is present in their life. It is also important for a daughter to have a male present in her life so as to have a reference point to know how a man should and should not treat her
ReplyDeleteThe matriarchal led household within the Caribbean society has lead to males in society viewing their role within a family as less important. This is why there are so many cases where a female would get pregnant and have to tend for the child alone because the male sees parenting as an option. He sees it as an option because he grew up under those same circumstances.
This may not be the case 100% of the time because within the Caribbean today there does exist single parent families led by the father and extended families in which the father figure isn't necessarily the child’s father.
Name: Christian Seales
I.D. : 812004863
Family organizations are generally classified as matrilocal (a mother and a child), conjugal (nuclear) or extended. In modern Caribbean society there has been a lack of fathers or male remodels in family households. This can also be dated back to slavery in which the male slaves were forcibly not allowed to play significant roles in their kids’ life. However, this is not necessarily the case now as fathers now have a choice to either be present or absent in their child’s life. The mothers are forced to play a double role as both “mother” and “father” if the fathers choose to be absent. The absenteeism of fathers can have pessimistic effects on the household. Firstly, fathers play an important role in their children’s development and family dynamics. They provide economic support and assume emotional and care giving responsibilities. Especially in the boys life he shows him a man’s responsibility like being bread winner and providing for his family. If the child longs for a father or father figure or if the father was present then left, it can negatively impact on the child’s academic achievement and gender specific development (in cases of the boys) even the physical, mental and emotional health of the child.
ReplyDeleteA child not only needs a father to be physically present but to be also warm and emotionally available. Not only the child is affected but, the mothers are also under a lot of strain caring for the child independently. A father’s role is just as important as the mothers and they instill important values and morals in their children. If the father is absent they need some sort of other male figure. Also the boys may think it normal to live in single homes and for the father to not take part in the child’s life, while the girls may think that fathers are not important and that they can do everything alone or independently. In the end the fathers and mothers role should be balanced as they both play important roles in the child’s development.
Kenisha Etter
812001015
Matrifocal families are widespread in the Caribbean where households are female oriented and the mother is seen as the sole bread winner and authoritative figure. In these families the fathers are sometimes present for the first years of the child’s/children’s lives and reside elsewhere afterwards[1]. This type of family structure differs significantly from the conjugal family which includes the father, mother and child/children. The economic determinacy of this structure was derived from colonial times(slavery) which changed the societal and cultural systems, and further affected kinship, family and marriage[2].
ReplyDeleteIn Jamaica, the men will deliberately have children with as many women as possible to demonstrate and maintain their dominance over the female sex[3](Donna, 2006). These needy gaps may be filled up to an extent by the mothers but cannot replace the father as the male role model in the family. Below are the many problematic situations which can arise from absentee fathers:
1. Physical-
• Low income(motherhood may have came at an early age; preventing female education)
• Unemployment:
1) Mothers have to stay home to care for her children
2)I know of cases in Grenada where females were laid-off because of regular maternity leaves
• Racism; African matriarchal families differ considerably from the other Caribbean families(Chinese & Indians who are conjugal.
• Poor housing
• Little/no proper meals(poverty)
• Little/no furniture
• Sexual abuse by their mother’s new mates
2. Psychological-
• Boys find it hard to determine their roles in the home/society- upon seeing their mothers as the breadwinners, they may move through relationships feeling that their female counterparts should do the same.
• Disruptive behaviors(delinquency) in society which are most prominent in boys, and disobedience in girls as the mothers do not have the time/support to pass discipline
• Psychological trauma due to sexual abuse
Footnote references:
[1]The Free Dictionary by Farlex.Matrifocal family. The Free Dictionary By Farlex.n.d.10th October 2012.web.
[2]Smith, Raymond T.The Matrifocal Family: Power, Pluralism and Politics.Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.28th December 1995.p 78.10th October 2012.Web.
[1]Donna P. Hope, 2006-“Some of these babyfathers selected their babymothers with great care to ensure that these women were mature, responsible and secure enough to provide their children with a decent upbringing and a secure future in the inevitable absence of the man’s support- economic, emotional, physical and otherwise.”
Hope, Donna P.Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica.University of the West Indies Press.2006.Print.p.53.10th October 2012.
Rena Noel
812003288
A family is defined as a fundamental social group consisting of one or two parents and their children or simply as many people living under the same roof. There are many sub categories of families including single parent, extended and adoptive parents. Today in the Caribbean, fathers need to take more responsibility and involvement in the household to provide, care, love and support their family. This was demonstrated in the past, where male slaves were prohibited from visiting their children and wives had the burden of working and caring for children. Men influence the lives of their entire family and set examples in the relationship. From father’s son’s learn how to become men and how to treat women. Daughters learn how to be treated by a man, and what to look for in a husband. Children learn how to solve problems and how to get along with others. They show them how to develop emotional knowledge and to identify their own. In the matriarchal female led household in modern day society, a mother’s and father’s role is essential. Fathers need to provide a balance of love and economic reserves for his family, the same as women do. Fathers have a choice to engage themselves in a child’s life. If a male role model is not present a substitute is needed. When a mother is left to care for a child alone the strain is put not on two but one. Boys may not be independent and learn the characteristics of becoming the breadwinner or be abusive. Girls may not know the love provided by a father. In conclusion a couple is a complete unit and should comprise of both parents, in this way they get the full attention and commitment needed from both.
ReplyDeleteJenette Greenidge
ID #: 812001010
Absentee males is a dominant factor here in the caribbean. This is so as it dates back to the slavery days where the subordination of the male was due to the wife being the property of the plantation owner. The plantation owner was the european man.
ReplyDeleteAs a result of this ,males did not live with their wives or took up responsibilities in taking care of thier children. The mother had to take care of her children and also work in the plantation estates. She was given a double role acting as a sole source of the breadwinner for her family to have and to teach the growing up children.
In modern day society today this is still taking place where most families are lacking the male role models. This dated back to the slavery days. The mothers are the head of the households rather than the fathers. This matriarchal structure resulted from the absence of the male authority figure. Women as a result took care of their families and worked hard to provide for them .
As a result of the lack of fatherhood in these families male children will grow up without even knowing their responsibility in society. They are not educated on their role they play in society, so this will lead to their sons not knowing as well. Also female children will not know what to look for when they are going to settle down with another male. They may not be aware of the fact that they are being used an so on. All this is supposed to be taught by the fathers in society.
Today in society women are being pressured since they have to take care of their children without financial assistance and fatherhood for their children. The caribbean men are leaving the women when they get pregnant. As a result of all of this it is a stereotype of men in the caribbean to leave their family.
References: www.caribbeanagri.blogspot.com
www.fatherhood.org/media/concequences-of-father-
abscence-statistics
Fadil Khan
812000108
In the modern day society, some men are leaving their families for one reason or another. The women are left with all the responsibilities of raising the children and taking care of the household while financially providing for her family. Though some women are capable of handling all the work on their own, some require the help from babysitters or caretakers. Some children are sometimes left home alone for some time till their parent returns from work. In the past, an entire community made it their responsibility to share the role of caring for, and disciplining the children of the neighborhood. This meant that the fatherless children were educated, loved, and influenced by other father figures in the society, so they were instilled with good family values. However, the modern day society is somewhat different. Children are no longer trained to be respectful to other adults, and the adults have a different mindset towards correcting other people’s children, soothe children are, most times, left to do whatever they like. Another aspect is the stereotype of the boys forming unstable relationships, and also turning out to leave their families behind. Some boys grow up to be quite different, in that they stay committed to their families so their children would have a different and better childhood than he did. Another stereotype is that the girls grow up without the love from their fathers and therefore form unhealthy, unstable relationships with men. Others may have trust issues, and not be able to trust men since their father wasn’t there for them or their mother.
ReplyDeleteCANDY CELESTINE
812000003
The absenteeism of males and matriarchal led households for modern day society in the Caribbean has impacted greatly on the development of societies. With the absence of a male dominant figure in the household, the females now have the responsibility of taking on both male and female roles. This lack of male figures is believed to have originated from the plantocracy days, where the plantation masters used the male slaves as sperm donors to impregnate the female slaves. This prevented a relationship between the male slaves and their off springs. I believe this is one of the reasons why the Caribbean today has a high percentage of male absenteeism in comparison to female absenteeism in the household as it was not customary to play a significant role in their offspring’s life. As a result of this there are many disadvantages that can hamper the development of children in these households. The children may develop abandonment issues believing that they are worthless and insignificant. The female children in the households may seek out attention and love from other males leading to an increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies. Also, crime is a major factor originating from the lack of males in the households as there are no male role models present to look up to and pattern, this gives the females a hard time in disciplining the young males who believe they are already grown and do not need punishing and when they have disobeyed rules.
ReplyDeleteIn concluding I must say that the lack of male figures in the household has numerous disadvantages that may affect the development of the children involved.
Tori De Freitas -Baptiste
812003174
The contemporary Caribbean there are many family structures such as the ever popular nuclear family, the single parent family, and the extended family. The single parent family is more prevalent in the Caribbean society. Some problems when it comes to the single parent family households which could be found in most Caribbean societies however these households are usually called matriarchal because it is usually headed by the females of the house. This means that there is an absent father who usually plays no role in the child’s life. People believe that this has impacted on the child in grave ways, whereby the upbringing of the child is hampered and he/she may grow up to become to have problems and may turn out to be a killer.
ReplyDeleteHowever psychologists have argued that after this when the child is about 6/7 years of age they then look for a role model to look at. If the mother is not at home to be there because she may have to work as she is the only parent obtaining an income. This is where the problem occurs an then the child would look outside the home for a role model and this maybe the next drug lord on the streets depending on the community in which the child is being brought into. This is where the term it takes a village to raise a child may have come from.
Therefore it could still be argued that it is necessary for the child to have both parents so that one could depend on the other .Even though the males in the Caribbean are allowed to do whatever they like in most cases there are ways to prohibit this as laws could be implemented such as strict maintenance fees if you do not pay you get as well as to put in place programmes which would allow single parents to meet other single parents so that they could know that they are not in this situation alone and also to check to make sure that maintenance fees are paid on time.
Shinace Baboolal
812001217
Most Caribbean countries today are being faced with the problem of absent fathers. Our women are seeking employment and education in order to improve certain conditions in their household since men have been neglecting their roles. Credit must be given to some men who take up their in the homes and in the community on a whole, since it is also an issue that some women are also neglecting their roles.
ReplyDeleteThere are many issues that may arise from matriachal led households and absentee males. Some of these may be juvenile delinquency, suicide, child abuse, drug abuse, and anit-social behaviour. It is impossible for females to take up the roles of males. They may be able to perform some of these roles but children;especially male children, need another male figure in their lives to look up to. They need to have someone close to them who they can relate to or have a 'guy talk' with. Some young adults for example in St. Vincent, have been committing suicide. But what is the cause for all this? Could it be emotional and physical strains brought about from not having the support of both parents?
There are also cases where fathers may be physically present but emotionally absent. This can also have the above mentioned impacts on our Caribbean youth, some having become menaces to society. Some may also pattern the behaviour of their fathers at an older age; they may display anti-social behaviours becoming abusers. Some youth are positively influenced by the strength of their mothers, others may start practicing illegal acts trying to help out the situation. This could be taking place in a matriarchal household where the mother is unemployed and as a result has to learn to cut back on the cost of their daily expenses such as food, transportation, personal and child cost. On the other hand, the mother may be employed working one or more jobs. This would mean that the child will not be receiving the attention he or she needs.
This issue of absent males and matriarchally led households can become a cycle where the youth may become resentful and push people away. To avoid all this i think there is a need for presence of both gender roles being positively displayed in the lives of our children. We should focus on solutions to develop and build our communities and improving some of the conditions our people are living in.
Kemisha Williams
812002858
In the Caribbean, there exists a high rate of absentee fathers which mainly affects modern day society. As customary, most households started off as traditional extended families and nuclear families, but presently single parent family has dominated the Caribbean as more and more homes are being broken up.
ReplyDeleteFathers play a vital role in their children’s lives as well as in the household. Fathers are usually the breadwinners of the family in that they are responsible for providing financial support to the family. The male figure in the home is also responsible for comforting and emotionally supporting his family and instilling morals and values in the child. For example, if a father has a son most times the son would see the father as his role model and would want to be like him and if the father is absent in the child’s life then more or likely the child may go astray because he would not have a fatherly love.
On the other hand, the absentee of matriarchal in the household happens in rare cases. It is very unlikely that a mother will leave her child. However, there are few instances where this had happen. It is statically proven that mothers currently retain custody of their children in approximately 70% of divorce. Mothers who usually forsake their children are young mothers who are involved in teenage pregnancy. These young and inexperienced mothers eventually understand what mistakes they have made and seek to correct them by leaving their kids to better themselves, because they know, they have no father support for the child and will be unable to raise a child on their own. Maternal abandonment leaves the children to deal with significant emotional, mental and psychological after effects. Other issues such as drugs, alcohol abuse, mental illness, incarceration or financial crisis are reasons why mothers may leave their children.
It can be concluded that the absentee of males and females in modern day society in the Caribbean negatively impacts on children’s life. More so, both parents play a major role in the growth and upbringing of their child and even in a single parent family, there are other family members who are willing and who can be an instrumental part in the child’s life.
Sources: www.today-parenting_and_family/t/moms-reveal-why-they-gave-their-children- statistics
NAME: SAMANTHA PALADEE
STUDENT I.D: 812001263
Caribbean Matrifocal Families can be defined as female – headed households where the female has the authority and the male are seen as marginal or not present in the home. The role of fathers has always been seen as marginal over the years and traditionally, this can be so, because of their lack of fulfilling the economic functions of providing maintenance for their families. However, there are many factors which have persisted this trend in the Caribbean where females are now taking charge. Firstly, matrifocality is dominant because of the legacy of slavery and this made it impossible for the slaves to have stable family households since they were taken away from their homelands to work on one farming system. This however led to the broken up,dysfunctional family structures in Caribbean societies where there are more single-parent families than nuclear families. Also, according to many sociologists, it was indicated that this trend is more associated with the Africans because during slavery there was little social life and they were not allowed to have families of their own. Therefore, the role of Afro-Caribbean men has been corrupted by the stereotypical and Eurocentric views that were placed by the Europeans/Whites, which still exist today. Another factor which persisted this trend is the kinship cultural pattern, the Africans brought with them, called polygamy. This consists of the father or male having more than one wife and his role in each home is marginal and this was a practice that they retained while on the plantations and it was what led to women or mothers being seen as leaders and supporters of the household today. Mothers now have to play both roles in the home and the child is deprived of proper societal role responsibilities as compared to a home where both parents are present.
ReplyDeleteMustapha., Nasser. Sociology For Caribbean Students., Kingston , Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers , 2009.
NAME : PRISCILLA GUEVERRA
ID #: 812005436
Any family is a social institution that acts as a form of primary socialization. The matriarchal family consists of a strong mother that is the head of the home. As opposed to the “traditional,” nuclear family with a mother, father and two children. This may have originated in slavery times as mothers were forced to fill the place of the absentee father.
ReplyDeleteHowever, although the mother may head the household, the lack of a “father figure” can have a serious impact on the children.
A father is a main influence to male children especially; he instills values and morals in which they abide by for the rest of their lives. He usually trains children to be emotionally strong and focused. Fathers through example teach their sons to be loving and caring providers. However, as displayed in today’s world where fathers are often missing, sons are being brought up without proper guidance and thus explain the common child and wife abuse.
Also, despite the many women that are able to give their children a financial advantage, there are many women that for one reason or another are unable to give their children the economic footing. That is where fathers would have helped, as they are often seen as the “bread winner,” and would be able to share the financial burden thus sometimes giving the children a better life as they are exposed to higher education etc.
However, with the matriarchal system, the mother instills many morals and values and this assist as children grown out of this system can be more loving, affectionate adults, as compared to their fathers who are more seen as “cold,” and “clinical.”
Ryan West
812002338
In the Caribbean, the absentee of males or fathers in modern day society are considered to be a big issue in today’s society. This is so due to the days of slavery where the subordinated of males was due to the wife being the property of the plantation owner or who are also known as the European men.
ReplyDeleteDue to this the male’s self-esteems were lowered leading in the absence of males. As a result of this the males took up no responsibilities within the household or neither taking care of the children. Therefore, the wives were left to take care of the children, work on the plantation estates and also becoming the breadwinner of the family, as she had to be one providing for them.
However in modern day society, it is relatively similar where most households are matrifocal and lack a male role model. Father’s play an important role in their children’s life. The provide support and care given responsibilities. Mainly in boy children’s life, he show’s him manly responsibilities as been head of the house like becoming the breadwinner, supporting his family financially, socially and emotionally. Without a male role model however, this can cause the children to become unaware of what is required of them to be a responsible adult.
Also as in terms of them being fathers, due to no exposure to a committed father in their lives they would simply be conditioned into believing that is how it should be and this can therefore cause serious problem in the Caribbean. It would however impacts directly on the crime levels, because many young males resort to gangs etc. to fill the hole left by their father, and to go out and get the male role model. Also, it can impact on the work ethic of young males in particular they may not have developed a proper idea of responsibility and commitment because of the way that they have lived.
In closing , it can be seen that absentee of males in a household can affect negatively on the offsprings or children of the family.
Rene Ramlal
812001560
Within the Caribbean there are many different types of families. Such are the nuclear, single-parent, extended and reconstituted families. The most common family type in the Caribbean is the single parent family in which the mother is the head of the household. Matriarchal families are common due to many reasons. Many believe that this type of family structure originated during slavery, as the male figures were not allowed to be a part of the family due to the slave masters enforcing them to do work rather than play a role in his family. Children without a father figure engage in fewer activities and talk about fewer issues with their mother.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of a father figure in a family can play a major role in the child's life as studies show that boys engage in more delinquent behaviour without a father figure. A father is needed to be a role model and a figure to respect, without one it will be difficult to raise children.
On another note, girls react differently to not having a father figure, although they may not have a male role model to show them what to look for in a husband, girls are more independent and confident.
All in all, a mother can be as strict and enforcing as she wants but she will not be able to compensate for an absentee father.
Matthew Chung
#812002589
In the Caribbean, the issue of an absent male/father in the household is most prevalent. In some cases, it is probably best that the male is absent, because not all males are good role models especially when it comes to male off-springs. For instance, if a male is abusive whether it may be physically or verbally or if he is involved in illegal activities it is best for him to be absent, which will allow the children and even the mother to function properly in a less endangered environment, also, the children would be less likely to go down a negative path. Hence, the saying ‘children learn what they live and do what they see’. Therefore, a child does not need a male role model to learn societal responsibilities which can be taught to them by a female, as is the case in many Caribbean families.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the absence of a male/father can also take a toll on the children and the female/mother. In terms of the children, it is said that the girls tend to look for ‘love’ elsewhere which often results in teenage pregnancies and the boys tend to be more delinquent than the girls and even join gangs, looking for that male role model. Moreover, the children tend to be emotionally unstable and often times have poor academic performances. Furthermore, it puts a strain on the mother, financially, emotionally and even socially because the mother often has to put the children first, sacrificing herself.
In closing, having an absent father in today’s modern society does not mean a person will not be successful, such that, having a father around does not mean an individual will turn out successful, it all depends on the individual and the people that surrounds him/her.
Kishauna George
812000237
In the Caribbean today, the types of families that exist vary drastically. There are nuclear families; consisting of parents and their sprouts, extended families; which extends beyond the nuclear family to include grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives living under one roof, and then there is the dominant family type of the Caribbean, the single parent family; where the household is headed by one parent which in most cases is the mother.
ReplyDeleteThe tradition of matriarchal led households travels back to the days of the plantation, where African men were not allowed to live with their wives, in fact it was considered illegal, leaving the woman to raise the children on their own. Nowadays, father absenteeism is not due to illegality, but to death and divorce. We live in a world that has evolved distinctively from ancient times. Frequently, women no longer depend on men to provide for them, instead, they attend educational institutes, graduate, and advance to work for incomes enough to support themselves and their children. Mothers also provide “motherly environments” equipped with love, support and guidance for their children. Some children however, grow with a yearning to know their father or at least have that male influence in their lives; they may feel a sense of neglect, and longing to have a relationship with their father, especially having witnessed that of their peers. In the case of the male children, growing up in a house filled with women would only expose them to the feminine way of life which is considered inferior, thus resulting in the child portraying these same traits instead of masculine ones. Fathers instill certain morals and values into their children, especially their sons, that have been passed down throughout generations. With the absence of a father in a home, this chain is broken, which frequently spells trouble for that particular child(ren) and their future. Sons begin to disrespect their mothers and their rules, they act out at school and in the worst cases, they turn to a life lead by crime and deviance. They would then pass on this negative lifestyle to their offsprings, giving rise to another generation destine for dome. The female children may jump in and out of relationships, seeking that love they never got for their father. In the midst of this chaos, there are those children that “break the curse”. They refuse to let the reality of their fatherless lives bring them down and instead aspire to give their own children, especially their sons a better life.
STUDENT NAME: KHYLA NUNES
STUDENT ID NUMBER: 812000581
The situation of male absenteeism in Caribbean households is one which has existed for many years. The absence of male or fatherly figures in households has a profound effect on mothers and their children. This lack of male role models leads to a breakdown in communication between mothers and children. Men are responsible for being a figure of authority and thus should teach children the needs for values like respect and patience as well as upholding your responsibility to family.If a mother is a single parent it will be difficult for her to shoulder the role of a father and this may lead to children being disruptive , challenging of her authority and troublesome to society. The lack of fathers in households is one of the main reasons why some Caribbean nations like Trinidad and Tobago have high crime rates.Many fathers divorce or leave their wives and children to fend for themselves. Children seek out gangs and other bad elements to attain the necessary monetary input as well as social bonding a father would usually provide.A mother's and father's relationship shapes a child's mind. Children tend to copy their habits and thus attitudes to each other, roles in the household as well as views on society.If a mother is the patriarch of the family it does not mean that children may not be properly socialized . Many families with women as leaders as well as single mother raised families have raised boys and girls to be pillars of society. Roles in society have changed in modern times , women are now more independent and are major providers for the family. Men may be important to a family but , mothers play a greater role in shaping their son's and daughter's minds and attitudes to a changing society.For example if a mother or father is abusive it is likely that their children will be abusive to their spouses irrespective of gender. It is important that a mother takes a firm stance when addressing children with respect to other factors like infidelity , domestic violence, values and roles as well as responsibility and family life. If not, children whether they have a father or not will go down the same path their parents followed. Parenting is thus a necessity and not an option. Nigel Sylvester Id# - 812003621
ReplyDeleteComment on the impact of absentee males and the matriarchal/female led household for modern day society in the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteThe impact of absentee males and the matriarchal/female led household for modern day society in the Caribbean has been influenced by many factors going way back during slavery days. Not only did it destroy the family unit it also made life very unstable for them to accept since traditional they were not accustom to it. The absence of males can be brought about by many reasons such as health problems (hospitalized), death, employment opportunities elsewhere or neglect.
A females place should not be the head of the household but rather a male as it is written in the Holy Bible; Ephesians 5: 22, 28-31. Females cannot be a male figure in any household or society nor can they carry out the functions of a male. Often when a male figure is absent it creates a heavy burden on the mother and may result in a dysfunctional household. Males are considered the breadwinner of the family, the superior ones in society and the main ingredient to any household or family structure.
The absentee of males causes many impacts such as;
Behavioral and emotional problems ( children often listen to their father more as they are more strict and accept limited excuses and demand more respect than their mothers).
Teen pregnancy and sexual activity (girls get an urge to be desperate for male attention and seek affection from them. Also due to the absents of the father and solid relationship among both parents a child find it acceptable to be in more than one relationship during their lifetime.
Exposure to violence and crime (Children often develop anger and rage and may not know how to deal with problems in a proper manner and often the female solution may be seen as weak).
Child abuse (increase risk of child abuse and neglect by mothers due to frustration ; fathers play the role of the second parent easing up the burden on mothers leading to depression and abuse.).
Lower educational performances due to depression, drop out of school and abuse of drugs and other substances).
Poverty (lack of a secondary income source to provide support for the family).
http://library.wcsu.edu/dspace/bitstream/0/527/1/Final+Thesis.pdf
http://www.onlinenigeria.com/articles/ad.asp?blurb=645
Dominica Welfare Association
Nelsha Shillingford
812006504
One of the major problems facing Caribbean societies today is the lack of males/ father figures in family households. An absentee male from households affects the family in many ways such as economically, socially, physically and mentally. It is understood that many Caribbean families are made up of matriarchal led households. This causes the mother to assume the position of both mother and father and leaves her with more responsibilities. The presence of the father is very important to a family as he is supposed to provide for the family in a modern society where both parents income are needed to raise their child/children. We can see now that absentee fathers can cause an economic burden on families where only the mother’s income is used to raise a child. This can cause strain on the mother both physically and mentally. Fathers also help prepare a child for society by teaching them norms and values of a society. This applies to both male and female children however one can go further to say that a father teaches his son many core values which can be very pivotal to his upbringing. Lessons taught from a father can help one become a good husband and father to his own children. The presence of a father can also give a sense of security to the family. A husband/father is there to protect his family; his presence should provide the family with security. The absence of a father can cause a feeling of fear in most matriarchal families and also affects the child mentally. They may be left wondering why their father didn't stay and may feel unwanted and unloved.
ReplyDeleteNicholas Dingwell
812117163
The absentee of males in the Caribbean society is a known trend which can be held accountable for the large number of females led households. This trend is the sole reasons for the structure we know today as the Caribbean family structure. Family’s that function without a male head present usually are held accountable for the large number of young misguided juveniles in society. They lack principal, values and beliefs that should have been thought to them by their fathers.
ReplyDeleteThese teachings would guide them to become respectable and responsible young adults. These households also produce males who become absent fathers in their children lives as the ones they were grown within. These households also produce females who usually become childhood mothers because of early sexually relationships. This is results of young females seeking love and attention form male figures because of the fatherly love they don’t have.
Female households usually raised females that believe that there is no need for a male figure within the family structure. They are raised with the concept that females are able to maintain a stable family life without a male leader. Males that belong to these types of family structure are very much in touch with their feminine side. This is so because they learn how the react to situations and deal with problems the same way as women would. These family structures can also lead to the growing number of homosexual males in today’s society.
Mary-Ethel Gray
812001927
Today, the Caribbean household is made up of many different types. There is the marital union, the common law union, the visiting union and the single parent family. The single parent is mainly made up of the absence of the male figure while the female runs the house and the family alone. This mainly dates back to the days of slavery where the male slaves were not allowed to see their children and the females had to provide for these children on their own.
ReplyDeleteThe difference now is that the males have a choice in whether they want to be a part of the child’s life or not and most of the times, this leaves an unfortunate impact on the child’s life. With this being done, the child grows up believing different things such as; his/her father does not love her, or that man does not need to be a part of the family and does not provide for a family. Some of these children grow up dropping out of school and emotionally unstable as the mother is sometimes unable to provide enough care and attention to them. This is because the mother can be busy trying to provide for these children financially that the children end up falling prey to peer-pressure at school or even at home on the streets. This causes them to turn to alcohol and drugs as a need of comfort and stress-relief. In other cases, the male role-model is beneficial to the boy’s life as a need of advice and support through his teenage years and in the girl’s life to show her that not all men are the same.
In conclusion, in the modern Caribbean household, it is more beneficial to the child or children if the family consists of both parents.
Reshma Sharma
812003309
In the Caribbean, the structure of families has taken a trend from extended family households to single parent households which are headed by women. This problem came about as a result of the plantation system; the plantation owners were in total control of the women on the plantation, hence the men were not given the responsibility to care for the children and to be an active part of the family. Men were left to adopt a life style which didn’t afford them the opportunity to play an active role in their children’s lives. This framework was mentally instilled in Caribbean men and has been passes down from generation to generation which results today in a number of matriarchal families. There are disadvantages to a child, who is raised up in this type of household. Studies has shown that children raised with their father and mother have better educational outcome, due to the father involvement, nurturing and playful with their infants, the child would have a higher IQ and as well as better linguistics. Children tend to be more patient and more able to handle stress and frustration associated with school.
ReplyDeleteThese children who are raised and have their father’s involvement in their lives during adolescence tend to continue to have a high rate of academic achievement and better verbal skills and intellectual functioning. For instance, a 2001 U.S. Department of Education study found that highly involved biological fathers had children who were 43 percent more likely than other children to earn mostly as and 33 percent less likely than other children to repeat a grade twelve. These children also tend to be more emotionally secure and more confident in their approach to their environment. All the advantages mentioned above is lost when a child is raised without his or her father playing an integral role in their upbringing.
Reference;
www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm
Mitch Jno Charles
ID#812003707
A gender role is a set of social and behavioural norms that are generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman in a social or interpersonal relationship. In the Caribbean, the roles of family members are different and deviate from the norms. The father's principal role is economic provider and protector of the family. They are also involved in the discipline of the children, especially the males, and often have a distant relationship with their daughters. In general, they are not actively involved in day-to-day childcare, especially for young infants. This does not mean that they do not care for their young but most believe that the women are better with children at this stage. There are four basic types of family structures that affect childrearing, values, and lifestyles. Hyacinth Evans and Rose Davies (1996) describe these as the marital union; the common-law union (the parents live together, but are not legally married); the visiting union (the mother still lives in the parents' home); and the single parent family. Focus would be given to the single parent family, absentee father.
ReplyDeleteThe impact of absentee males and the matriarchal/female led household for modern day society in the Caribbean varies. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child and in my opinion, even if a father is absent, it should not determine the outcome of the child. However, times have changed and that neighbourly love of yesteryear has slowly dissipated. Although some individuals have thrived raised solely by their mother, most have fallen trap to juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, dropped out of school and violence and crime. In essence, some children need their fathers as roles models while others do just fine.
NAME: CHERICE WOLFE
STUDENT ID: 811004515
In the Caribbean, it is noticeable that the traditional nuclear family is not the prominent family pattern. According the Melville Herskovits and Edward Frazier, plantation society and cultural retention of polygamous relationships , have contributed to the high numbers of matriarchal families and absent fathers in our society. During slavery, the slaves were not allowed to be married ; men were just encouraged to pro- create and families were often separated and sent to different plantations. In addition to this, many slaves who settled in the Caribbean brought with them their culture of polygamy where the man had many wives but each wife would take care of the child whilst the man would only be the provider.
ReplyDeleteThis has trickled down into our Modern Day society especially among the people of African descent. It has contributed to many social problems especially among sons who miss that male presence in their lives. Many times they go looking in the wrong places to learn how to be a “man”. They cling to anyone who can fill this void and many times they form gangs because it is here they learn from their fellow males the role of manhood. However the values they are taught here are not solid and strong ; they are not taught how to be responsible, respectful, honest and be a leader in society. This this has contributed to many males rejecting their roles as father, partners and husbands.
Fortunately, this is not always the case as the Caribbean has always been known for its close community and kinship bonds. In cases where there are absent fathers, many young males often have role models in their communities, and male relatives who intervene and help shape them into men that would positively contribute towards society.
Reddock ,Rhoda and Barrow ,Christine. Caribbean Sociology: Introduction Readings,2002.Print
Candace Gibbs
Student ID#: 812005997
In the Caribbean, it can be seen that there is an absence of a male figure in many households. As this figure grows, it can be seen that there is a need for a father figure in these households as fathers play an essential part in the molding the children during their growth. This problem is predominant in African families as it stems from the days of slavery where the African slaves were not allowed to have families. Unlike them, the Indian indentured laborers were allowed to live with their families hence the problem doesn't arise as frequently.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of a male figure in the family is great as he would help to lead the children away from making some common mistakes that can affect their futures negatively. Some of these problems may include peer pressure, which in turn leads the individuals to partake in drug abuse, form gangs and partake in other illegal activities that are done to feel apart of a group or feel like it gives them a meaning in life. There are just some things that a male figure would be able to teach the younger individuals that would impact their choices greater than if it was to be done by the mother figure. Young girls for example may form multiple abusive relationships with males because they never experienced a male figure and role model in their life. Young men would become the same as their absent fathers and do it with their children and so the trend continues.
These are just some of the consequences of the absence of a father figure in the household and can be seen to have a great effect on the child's life.
Rajiv Rajaram
I.D#810002650
In today’s society there is a high level of absenteeism of fathers whereas high level of dominance of the single mothers in the Caribbean and even in the entire world. In fact, this can be seen in the days of slavery in the Caribbean where the mothers would take control of the household, take care of the children and spend time cultivating in the land. This dominance has continued on for ages and is seen in today’s Caribbean society, however this had led to difficulties in children lives. This is to say, fathers play an important role in their children’s life as they provide support, care and responsibilities towards the children. Mainly in the boy child life, as the father would show his son how to be responsible in terms of being the breadwinner and the main duties of being head of the household, provide social and emotional care for his future family.
ReplyDeleteThe presents of absenteeism of fathers in the households can cause serious problems which are unemployment which the mothers would have to stay home and take care of her children, unemployment can thus lead to poverty (no income i.e.no food), psychological as boys find it hard to determine their roles in the home/society upon seeing their mother as the breadwinner, disruptive behaviour of the children in society which are most protruding in the boys and finally abuse from the mother’s new mate. In conclusion, the lack of fathers in the household has led to underdevelopment of the children lives.
Vinai Chatee
812117182
In the Caribbean now a day and all over the world most single parent families are led by mothers or a female figure. In cases like these the children of these homes tend to be more independent and a bit harder working. Religiously the church says that the children growing up without a father figure are the main cause of crime and violence in the society. It is also said that these children are more soft and feminine. These most cases these children grow up without learning societal responsibilities because there is no male figure to guide them , there is only so much females could do to teach children but the male in most cases teach certain values and morals that u can’t get anywhere else. I would say that the cause of most crime today is because of the absent fathers who weren’t there to teach their children right from wrong.
ReplyDeleteNicolas C. Seenath ☮
812000093
An absentee male can be defined as one who does not fulfill his responsibilities as a father to his children by being an immediate part of the household. In the Caribbean this is a widespread phenomenon, so much as to be taught as being normal and unaddressed in our culture.
ReplyDeleteAbsence of male figures in a family can lead to many problems in the household. A son is dependent on a father to develop male psychological features and become a man. Children look up to a male figure for guidance and protection, growing up in a single parent (matriarchal in this case) causes children to not value a male figure and attributes associated with such a figure.
This type of family structure has developed from plantation society where African slaves were not allowed to raise families as time went on and slaves became freed this family system had already become the norm, hence men would make children with multiple women and be present in neither of the homes. This is particularly prevalent amongst Caribbean people of African descent.
Absence of fathers in homes lead other sociological and cultural problems. No dominant male is around to guide and set example to children, hence they may become rebellious and delinquent leading to involvement in drugs and crimes. Female children do not have a male figure to demonstrate affection and family support that should be given by a male figure.
Absence of fathers also means the mother now becomes the home’s breadwinner, limiting income and having to share it among her children. This leads to less being spent on essential items such as food, clothing and educational expenses. This leads to high levels of poverty and low levels of education attained by children from such homes.
Sunil Ramnarine
Student # 811002091
Many of the social problems in the Caribbean today, when examined closely can be linked to the absence of a father or male authority figure in the lives of their children, an epidemic which can be seen as directly linked to slavery.
ReplyDeleteOn the plantation, the child would grow up with the mother because men and women were forced to live in separate structures, and naturally, the children were placed in the care of their mothers. From the above, we can see that African men were automatically divorced from any responsibility pertaining to the child (role of fatherhood) which had a damaging domino effect into the future. In modern day society, we see that this type of mentality whether willingly or subconsciously has been adopted as a norm in our African households today. On the other hand however, the East Indian Indentured Labourers were not subjected to this type of harsh reality. Indentured servants were allowed to have a “normal”, functioning household where both parents were allowed to be present. It is the main reason we see such a strong male presence in East Indian homes as oppose to that of Africans in Caribbean society today.
A father’s absence in the home can have severe consequences on a child and these effects can vary from boy and girl. Some psychologists have said I girls, a father’s absence creates emotional wounds which jumpstarts puberty which leads to early promiscuity, giving rise to early teenage pregnancies. Bryant 2003 simply argued that because girls were not receiving this love and affection at home, they eventually turn outward for it. Fathers are supposed to teach the boys how to be independent in society, how to provide for their families and more importantly, how a woman should be treated. Fathers’ absence in the homes only ensures that this vicious cycle would continue.
It is as a result of this that the role of motherhood black women were expected to fulfil created a paradox known as superwoman. An image that depicted the black mother as someone who had to be a nurturing and caring towards her children but considered unfeminine, strong willed and dominating all at the same time. It is unfair to expect so much from the woman and demand so little from men. Fathers should step up to the plate and reverse this vicious cycle that they have created.
references:
"The Impact of Father Absence." The Impact of Father Absence. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. .
Sihle Mendoza
811002601
A matriarchal family refers to a family in which females are placed above the male in terms of importance therefore is lead by women. This type of family is one of the main characteristics of the Caribbean region, According to statistics the region contains a large amount of female headed households and large proportions of said households suffer from absentee father. This is as a result of our African cultural retentions, effects of plantations slavery and social phenomena of poverty.
ReplyDeleteAbsentee of fathers in homes families can contribute to poverty, since it means that there would be less income to support the home. Most single mothers as such depend on government assistance. Children also lack crucial financial support that is necessary for education. Lack of financial aid can also affect the children health because to the inability to eat proper
Children who grow up in families with the absence of a father have a greater tendency of doing less well in school, have emotional and behavioural problems and are of a greater tendency of going to prison due to lack of supervision. Al of this is as a result of a father’s love, support and guidance, sons are mostly affected as they are better able to relate to their fathers and thus in their absence are unable to do so.
This is of family is considered a norm in the region and as such, some fathers are not taking up their responsibilities and the mothers are left to fend for themselves and there children.
Anesha Sharma
811001491
In the Caribbean today, it is observed that women are now the dominant figure in many households as a result of the absenteeism of a male figure. This is known as a matriarchal family structure. During the period of slavery men and women formed unstable relations and were not allowed to develop stable family forms. This resulted in the lack of a male figure especially in the black population which still exists today. When father abandon their family the wife now becomes the breadwinner and this adds on extra stress to her in providing for her family. The female may now have to take up extra jobs to earn extra income and is at home less. As a result the children have very little parental guidance and tend to go astray and commit illegal acts such as crimes which may tarnish the family's reputation.
ReplyDeleteThe father usually instills essential values which adds richness to the child's upbringing usually the son. Without the values the son's mentality may be affected and he may develop a sense of insecurity. It is common that males raised by women often turn to homosexuality.
It can be concluded that in order for a child to recieve a proper upbringing it is necessary for both parents to play an active role in their lives.
Vishal Boodoo
812000246
It is apparent that the dominant family type that is found in the Caribbean is single parent, and usually of a matrifocal structure. It is believed that one of the reasons for absentee males has trickled down from slavery days. During slavery, the male slaves did not live with their wives and children, or the women were impregnated by the masters who had nothing to do with the child, which left the women to take care of the children. Due to men being absent in the household, the women have had to take up the role as both mother and father. And it is obvious that there are some things a mother just cannot teach to a child that would be ideally suited for the father figure to do, especially a boy child. For example, it is believed that the ways of manhood is more nuture than nature, and who best to nuture a boy into a man than a male? A boy growing up surrounded by only females, seeing the house being lead by a female, may take on the view that this is the norm and so grows up not changing the dynamic of it. He may adopt feminine ways that he might have seen from his mother, sisters or even aunts. He may also even fall to the wrong side of the tracks easily, taking part in drug abuse and gang violence. Additionally, it has been noticed that households that have absent father figures, the daughters are usually promiscuous at a young age, as she searches for somebody to fill the space of the male figure she didn’t have growing up. This leads to teenage pregnancy and emotional damage (insecurities). It is also seen that many girls who have little or no contact with her father have low academic performance and go on to live a life of poverty. I believe that a man should take up his responsibility as a father and take care of his child/children in any and every way he possibly can. Then there may be less social problems in the Caribbean.
ReplyDeletehttp://library.wcsu.edu/dspace/bitstream/0/527/1/Final+Thesis.pdf
http://www.globaldialoguefoundation.org/files/FAM.2009-mar.CaribbeanFamilies.pdf
Cly-Donna Bramble
812005730
The predominance of the matrifocal house holds family and the legend of absentee father figure have been an issue of concern within the Caribbean predating the 1980’s. The world has had matriarchal societies where women are the head of the family such examples of this are the Ede of Vietnam but the men are present, and the Mosuo People of China where the children are rise communally 1. The problem which is the real issue to me is not the female headed home but just the absent father or limited interaction of the father figure with both the daughter and son.
ReplyDeleteThe West society places emphasis on the patriarchal headed nuclear family as the ideal situation. In terms of Gender roles learning both parents play integral part mention in different theories structural-functional learning theory (Parson & Bales, 1960), psychodynamics theory (Freud), social learning theory (Bandura, 1963). All the theories basically states the children learn about gender through observation and are affected by the behavior and interactions of their parents and adults surrounding them. The children who live in house hold where the father is not present can’t observe the male and female interaction. The role of the male is normally seen from an economic stand point but he also is vital for a child’s social and physiological well being. The boy or girl will have to rely on the media who is highly stereotypical and vast emphasis of male/female as sex objects 2.
The lack of the father factor have been linked to poverty, emotional and behavioral problems, incarceration, crime, teenage pregnancy and sexual activity, child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, childhood obesity, education and lastly maternal and child health. In the field of education a higher likelihood to get A’s if the father is present 3.1. The maternal and child health, it was proven that premature infants who have increased visits from their fathers during hospitalization have improved weight gain and score higher on developmental tests 3.2. The situation is improving as the social networking site Facebook plays host to "Caribbean Man" who Members (251) where Caribbean men to talk about who they are, who they want to be and what it means for Caribbean culture.
References
1.http://utopianist.com/2011/06/5-societies-run-by-women-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them/
Written by: Corrina Laughlin
2. Caribbean Families : Diversity Among Ethnic Groups, Editors Jaipaul L. Roopnaire, Janet Brown. Advances in Applied Development Psychology 14.Copyright 1997 by Ablex Publishing Corporation.
3. http://www.fatherhood.org/media/consequences-of-father-absence-statistics
3.1 Coleman WL, Garfield CF, and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. “Fathers and Pediatricians: Enhancing Men’s Roles in the Care and Development of their Children”. American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement, Pediatrics, May, 2004.
3.2 “Their Children’s Schools by Family Type and Resident Status. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001.”
ID 812004758
Leeba Bradshaw-Lucillio
Many Caribbean homes today lack a male leader (father) to perform traditionally expected roles. In this role the father is the main income earner, providing security and shelter and maintaining discipline over the family unit, while being a role model for male off-springs. In the absence of the father a matriarch exist where the mother performs the roles of the absent father as well as her traditional roles of child-rearing and home management.
ReplyDeleteAbsenteeism fathers generally lead to families with reduced income and a matriarch who may not be able to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter for her children. The home’s weakened financial position and absence of a male role model can create a situation in which children leave school at early ages to find low paying jobs to supplement the family income. Additionally, boys may engage in crime and drugs and young girls in prostitution or relationship with men (often older) to meet basic physical needs for themselves and the family.
In matriarchal family units a mother has to work to be the main family income earner. This makes it difficult for her to be mother and father at the same time and therefore children may be left unattended for long time periods. Minor conflicts resulting from lack of communication and support, both at home and outside the home may not get resolved due to a lack of attention by the parent.
In spite of the challenges successful well-balanced individuals, raise within matriarchal families exist throughout the Caribbean. In many of these families the grandmother may provide support in an extended family unit to account for the absent father. Whereas, the single parent household should not be seen as a solid foundation for producing successful well-balanced citizens, the efforts of matriarchs must be applauded.
Shelly Ann Mohammed
811004118
It is true that in today’s society that most father figures are absent from Caribbean household. Some may say that there are the stereotypes but I wouldn’t call it a stereotype when it’s happening every day in today’s society. Females are left to provide for the household. She now has to become the mother and father for her children. She is now left with all the responsibility of taking care of her children. This in the future will affect children as they grow older not having a male role model in their life. Girls grow up thinking that they are the ones that have to provide for their family without a man’s help, and guys grow up mostly around females which makes it hard for them to understand their role in the household.
ReplyDeleteI do understand that in some instances the fathers cannot be present in their children’s life, but someone in the family should be there to step up and portray that male role model. You could go back to the days of slavery where men weren’t able to be around for their children, but we don’t live in the days of slavery anymore. This is a whole different society we live in now and we see more and more single parents. Yes in some instances the father is left to take care of the children. But this is not always the case in the world today females are the single parents. Children need both male and female role models , it is important for them to grow up and understand the role that both male and female play in the household
Farissa Salick
812001056
A matriarchal family is a social system in which the mother is head of the family. This type of family is one of the main kinds found in the Caribbean region. According to statistics, the region contains a large amount of female headed households and large proportions of said households suffer from absentee father. This is as a result of our African cultural retention, effects of plantations slavery and social phenomenon of poverty.
ReplyDeleteAbsentee fathers in homes can contribute to poverty, since it means that there would be less revenue to sustain the home. The majority of single mothers as such depend on government assistance. Children also lack essential monetary support that is necessary for schooling. Lack of monetary support can also have an effect on the children strength because to the helplessness to consume as it should be.
Children who grow up up in families with the absence of a father have a greater tendency to do worse in school. They have emotional and behavioural problems. No dominant male is around to guide and set example to children, hence they may become rebellious and delinquent leading to involvement in drugs and crimes. Female children do not have a male figure to demonstrate affection and family support that should be given by a male figure. This type of family is considered a norm in the region and as such, some fathers are not taking up their responsibilities and the mothers are left to fend for themselves and their children.
811004348
Sanjay Maharaj
Female headed households are on the rise, especially in developing regions such as the Caribbean (Lemmings, 1991). The impact of absent males in female led households has caused destruction of primary socialization in the offspring of such families. Family provides the process by which their offspring learn cultural norms. In the Caribbean society where matriarchal led household prominently exists, the child does not have any father figure in their lives. Therefore, the emotional pain causes these individuals to ‘lash out’ at the members of their family. It also causes these offspring to search for compassion with unsavoury company. This causes family strife which reduces the cohesiveness of this unit.
ReplyDeleteThe family also provides personality stabilization. Marriage between adult men and women is the arrangement through which adult personalities are supported and kept healthy (Parson and Bales, 1956). Males search for their own definition or fulfilment of manhood. Therefore, with the absence of males in matriarchal society this may cause a problem in the identity of male offspring. They may not know their roles in society and may be confused. Therefore, the formation of homosexuality may be because of the breakdown of identity formation in families. Without, a male figure in their lives male responsibilities in society can often become blurred.
Krystal Rouse
812000378
Matriarchal or mother led families in the Caribbean have been a common family type for many years in the Caribbean. The presence of this family type first appeared in the Caribbean during slavery. During the period of slavery; slaves were not allowed to have families. The children of slaves were cared for solely by their mother. Presently in the Caribbean matriarchal families has become a norm in African families. The absence of fathers figures in modern day society has definitely contributed to many of society's problems. Indeed fathers play a key role in the lives of their children guiding them and teaching them right from wrong. It is more likely that children from single parent families turn to crime and violence as a consequence. Male children in the household may also continue the cycle since they are unaware of the feeling of being in a complete family. The absence of a father can have psychological effects on a child as well. Children may grow up feeling neglected by their absent father. Girl children may try to fill the void in their lives by looking for love elsewhere. This may lead to promiscuity and even higher levels of teenage pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteFathers are usually the sole breadwinners in households, in matriarchal households stress is placed on the mother as she now has to be the sole breadwinner for the livelihood of her family. This can lead to levels of poverty.
In conclusion, fathers play a vital role to a family. The absence of a father has numerous consequences. However this does not mean that all single parent families have to experience the same consequences of being in a single parent family. The mother would need to work twice as hard in the case of a matriarchal family but if she instills good values in her children and raise them right they children would be fine.
Name: Renelle Sankar
ID No.: 811000438
The structure of many Caribbean families is a result of the influences of slavery. During slavery the co-existence of husband and wife was prohibited by the plantation owners and as a result the male and the females lived in separate quarters. This in turn contributed to the development of a lazy and unwilling attitude of the males as the head of the families. Another contributing factor is the culture of the African male to have multiple sexual partners which lead to them having multiple children with different women and so this was addressed by having single parent families and in some cases visiting relationships.
ReplyDeleteWomen of today have a sense of economic independence and with increased educational opportunities the need of a husband in order to run a household is not compulsory. However, the presence of a male in the household is necessary since it has a crucial impact on the growth and development of the children. For a boy, a father nurtures him to become a young man who believes in himself and is equipped with the capability to stand up for what he believes in, accompanied with the knowledge on how to treat a woman, since the a boy tends to imitate the behavior of his father. With this being absent in matriarchal households this can lead to a child turning to drugs, violence, suicide, and robbery. Being brought up in a female led household can also lead to a child thinking that is the norm and so causing a domino effect for later generations where the male figure plays is an unimportant role in the family. For a girl a father who shows love and tenderness to her shows her the love that she is worthy of and can prevent her from getting involved in abusive and advantageous relationships with other men.In essence a father is needed to ensure a complete and stable household.
Shweta Trebouhansingh
811004001
In today's modern society, one of the most prominent stereotypes is that of the absent father/male figure of the Caribbean household. This subordination of the male was due to the wife being the property of the plantation owner back in the days of slavery. African slaves were not allowed to have families. If an enslaved couple decided to have children, the offspring would have to grow up with his/her mother because males and females were housed separately on the estates. Also, in addition to taking care of the children the mother had to work on the plantation estates.
ReplyDeleteHowever, fathers play a vital role in the home as they act as traditional breadwinners of the household. For instance, boy children in particular look up to their male role models within the family and follow what they see. This is why the father has to act as the backbone structure in growing up and teaching his sons proper morals and values so he would know how to project and adapt himself to people in society. Also, fathers are there to teach their children, both male and female societal responsibilities within the family unit. For example, they have to show their sons how to be loving and respectable to women in general and furthermore their wives in the near future. Moreover, they have to learn how to be breadwinners and caregivers/helpers around the home and teach him how to support his family financially, economically and socially. Therefore, without a male role model, this can cause many children to become unaware of what is required of them to be a responsible adult and thus can lead to societal consequences such as increased criminal activities and gang violence.
In conclusion, I can say that the prevalence of absentee males in modern day Caribbean households does have a negative impact on children's lives today.
Sacha Seunarine
812001522
The impact of absentee males is seen widely throughout the Caribbean society today. The role of the Caribbean father has always been marginal. This stems from the African cultural practices of the Plantation System of slavery where the role of the man was for reproduction purposes while the woman’s role was to care for the children as the males were sold to break family ties. Economic factors also contribute as males are unable to financially meet the responsibility of fatherhood because of poverty. After emancipation the trend of absentee males continued leading to a range of social problems.
ReplyDeleteFrom this situation the woman became the backbone of the household. She has the responsibility of being the breadwinner as well as execute the multifocal duties of both a father and mother. She may have to depend on government assistance or family and friends to care for her children as would not be able to “do it all”. Some of the social problems resulting from an absentee male are children engaging in drugs and alcohol abuse, crime, sexual activity and teenage pregnancy. Children also performance poorly in the education system and have behavioral and emotional issues. Since the mother may be a product of an absentee male household she may lack the parenting versatility of both the male and female parenting skills needed to raise a child, as one of the roles of a father is to teach the boys independency, family responsibility and how to be a good husband.
Since we are no longer in plantation system men need to resume their position in family life. This is the only way the Caribbean society can further develop and move forward without the problems associated with the absentee male. The Caribbean woman would be able to focus on her motherly duties without the worries associated with leading a household. From this well rounded Caribbean individuals would be produced.
Nadine Holder
812005571
The absence of male figures in the Caribbean household in today’s society display’s the matriarchal or female lead to full effect, this would not only affect the children but the country on a hole. In the Caribbean it was observed in the past that the community brought up a child whereas, in present day society this responsibility lies only on the parents. Furthermore, over time this has evolved from both parents to just one, such as the mother. In addition, this creates the lack of a male figure in the children’s life, more over the male child, as he now has no male influence which causes a shift in his behavior as he would seek this elsewhere, mainly in male rappers who display characteristics which alters their personality in a negative manner. They also see themselves as the man of the house, which may cause them to work from an early age, than that of the girls. This would in turn result in a continuous cycle of fatherless families.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the mother plays the role of both parents therefore, she performs the households or motherly duties and provides for the family as a father would do. Hence, this indicates or influences an independent mindset to the daughters that there is no need to relay on men, resulting in more career orientated women in society. Thus, this would also have a continuous cycle as these mothers would instill the importance of a career in her life in the presence of a male figure or not. While, some girls who lack a father figure often seek male attention and do so in a negative socially unaccepted way.
However, Caribbean society today displays matriarchal families as negative and unacceptable, as the nuclear family is now considered as ideal.
Phebe Ramayah
811000694
We first need to have a clear understanding on what exactly is a matriarchal/female led household in the Caribbean. This household can be defined as a woman who rules the family, who dominates the group or activity and is highly respected, this woman is a “mother”. Due to the (absentee) of the male role models “fathers” and the increased growth in their absence in the Caribbean today many mothers have to endure complete responsibility of the households in which they reside. Their roles are to provide, teach values and norms to their off-springs and also make most of the major decisions within the household. Negative impacts can arise from the absence of the father and it also puts a major tension on the mother which can lead to stress. Poverty can add to this tension as the mother is the sole provider and may need to work a multiple amount of jobs to gain revenue just to provide the basic necessities required. Thanks to assistance from the government this tension is reduced. Children grow a lot of resentment since most of their needs and wants aren’t satisfied and may go into a life of crime or have a rebellious state of mind. These children also project relatively low grades in schools as an outcome to their emotional problems which may be channelled negatively through their behaviour. This can result because a dominant male role model isn’t around to give guidance towards certain aspects in life which the mother cannot relate too. This type of family is considered common in the Caribbean and it can be seen that most fathers hide or escape from their responsibilities and the mothers are left to provide for themselves and their children.
ReplyDeleteFotenote:Absentee- A person who is expected or required to be present at a place or event but is not.
ID#812002027
Roderick Mohammed
In the Caribbean today, there seems to have been a shift from the old fashioned nuclear family and long sustained marriages, to high divorce rates, abandonment and single parent households. Today the base family structures are grandmother dominated households, common law unions as opposed to marriage and the topic of discussion today absentee fathers. Firstly, Fathers encourage independence: They are generally less protective, promoting exploration and risk taking and model aggressive or assertive behaviors. Fathers expand the child’s horizon: they are the link to the “outside world” through their jobs. Fathers serve as “alternative parent”; they can improve the quality of the mother’s parenting by reducing her stress and stepping into to give the mother a break during a crisis. Fathers are strict disciplinarian; they accept fewer “excuses” and demand more of their children at each stage. Fathers are men; treating their children respectfully can put the child at ease with other men throughout his or her life (Grimm-Wassil 1994).These are the roles a father plays in a household, they are irreplaceable and of great importance to the development of a child, but what happens when there is no father in the household? Erratic behavior, personality disorders, lack social cohesiveness, poor academic performance, disciplinary problems, and absenteeism rates at school as well as higher dropout rates are some of the repercussions. Also In the absence of a male parental model, it was assumed that boys could not acquire strong masculine identities or sex roles and would not have models or achievement with which to identify (Biller, 1974, 1993).Because of this Absence of fathers in Caribbean countries which seems to have become an accepted norm, matriarchal single parent structures have developed. Mothers lead the household and play the role of two parents, because of this a stigma has developed that males are the weaker gender and can get away with ill deeds without consequences from society. This stigma carries on to the sons of these matriarchal families who view these actions as norms and thus continue this grievous cycle. The females of these household grow up with a mindset that they don’t need men to help raise their kids, but this is wrong as they themselves are helping the cycle to continue.
ReplyDeleteErik Ranoo
I.D:812003827
The family structures in the Caribbean are quite diverse, however, in recent times there has been a rapid increase in the absenteeism of males in the upbringing of children in households. A father's principal responsibility is to be the economic provider and protector of the family. They are also involved in the discipline of the children, especially the males, and often have a distant relationship with their daughters. Most likely, children born to couples in the later stages of family development usually have two parents in the home. Hence the raise in teenage pregnancies may also account for the increase in absenteeism of males. The majority of Caribbean men have poor emotional relationships with their children. As a result, young boys may view family patterns such as matriarchal households, male absenteeism, and extramarital relationships as norms and continue them as adults therefore this becomes a trend.
ReplyDeleteIt is believed that in matriarchal household, children, especially boys tend to grow up “own way”. This is probably due to the fact that there are no role models or father figure in these boys’ lives. In addition, boys relates better to their father than their mother hence a mother cannot fill that void that is left by the father. However, not all boys in matriarchal household grows up so. In some cases, there are males in the community or in the family that the boys look up to as their role model. As a result, matriarchal household may not always bring up “own way” children. The main point that both sexes needs to be bought up in a household where there are role models present that set examples for the children to follow. These role models don’t necessarily have to be biological parents.
Read more: Caribbean Families - Family Structure - Single Parent, History, Development, Children, and African - JRank Articles http://family.jrank.org/pages/203/Caribbean-Families-Family-Structure.html#ixzz29JcUL4iS
Name: Shanaz Bharat
ID Number:182001663
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn society today it is common to see a family which lacks that male figure. This puts families in such a stressful situation with many complications. Men are supposed to be the breadwinners or providers and protectors of their family. When he is absent, the woman must now take on all his responsibilities. In terms of the children, they tend to grow up differently when there is no father present in their life, especially the son. He will be able to learn certain skills in life which can be only taught from a father. The son will not have anyone to really look up to, and may even grow up lacking that masculinity. Lack of a father figure can also lead to more responsible children. For example, the children will be aware of the struggling mother and start to pick up activities to help out, and will learn many morals in life due to this.
ReplyDeleteThis absence of a male in family can have many adverse effects on society. Growing up, these children of these families can stray along negative paths in life due to the fact of having one parent. The mother may not be able to control of her children all by herself, thus some children may be neglected and cause them to react to such environment. This can result in sons straying towards criminal activity, daughters growing up with no morals and lady-like mannerism. These people will now go into society with their negative ways, affecting everyone else they come into contact with. Another consequence of this single parent family is that some sons may prefer to act on their own and they too may leave their family resulting in this lack of male figure situation becoming a norm. Thus having an even more negative impact on society in the future generations.
Richard Yuen ID# 812003015
Absentee males in the family and the matriarchal or female led household are very common in Caribbean households in the modern day. The typical nuclear family is not seen in many of the Caribbean islands. This is due to historic factors which shaped today’s society. In the plantation days, the African slaves were not allowed to have families or marry if they had children. As a result, if a female slave had a child, she was required to take care of this child on her own until they reached a particular age where the child would be capable of carrying out slave duties of their own. Evolution from this meant that many families later on, especially of the African origin had absentee males in their families. The indentured labourers, however, were allowed to have families with mothers and fathers in the household and thus the matriarchal/female led household was not as common with this group.
ReplyDeleteThe impact of absentee males can be very negative. The absence of a male head of the household is important especially for the male children of the family. This male figure of authority can be used as an exemplar of a responsible breadwinner of the family. He should teach the male children how to be responsible and how to one day have families of their own and take care of them financially and otherwise. Without this male figure, a matriarchal/female led household will be borne. Matriarchal/female led households may actually cause females to aim to be breadwinners of their families and hence take full responsibility for their children’s need without any help from the father. This leads to more single parent families which will be more difficult to run. All in all, without a male father figure, the male children will have no guidance or direction and may get themselves into poor practices.
Saeedah Baksh
810002134
Many single parent families do exist in society today and it is true that most are female headed households. Some effects on the child, from being of a single family home, are that they receive less love and affection and there may be lack of resources for the child’s education, healthcare and well-being. There is also the consequence of juvenile delinquency among children grown up in some circumstances. It is difficult for young boys to grow up without having a father figure around and it is even more difficult for girls as they miss the feeling of protection and comfort from their dad.
ReplyDeleteHowever, presently, in female headed households, children are still grown up to their best potential and are well achievers. This is due to the fact that women are now independent because of more educational and employment opportunities. As such, the ability for women to nurture their children solely has increased. Women’s roles have changed from the typical care-giver or homemaker, to that of breadwinner or authority figure which was mainly roles obtained by males. This makes the individual woman an effective role model and disciplinarian in her children’s life.
Rekera Ambrally
812001034
The family has often been regarded as the cornerstone of society. In premodern and modern societies alike it has been seen as the most basic unit of social organization and one which carries out vital tasks, such as socializing children. In the Caribbean families are divided into categories such as ; nuclear family, extended family and matrifocal or matriarchal family.
ReplyDeleteMatrifocal families in the Caribbean ; this household is female-headed and the authority is in the hands of the woman. There are no resident husbands. These families are usually more affected by poverty than the nuclear and extended family forms. Mother’s are expected to act both roles as mother and father in the household. This type of family structure is found mainly among people of African origin. Matrifocalilty is dominant in the Caribbean because of the legacy of slavery.
In today’s society father’s need to take more responsibility and play an active role in loving, caring and providing for their family. This is because sons learn to be productive and well trained men if their father sets goals and good examples to be followed. Father’s also give their daughters a chance to see what they could look for in a man as a husband. A father’s love is essential in the growth and upbringing of children.
When in a matrifocal family, all strain is left on the mother (economic as well as social)
Father’s need to provide for their family and engage in their children’s life. In conclusion a family should consist of both parents and children so that all love and attention could evenly be distributed amongst one another.
Shereece Boodram
812000735
Presently in the Caribbean, one would notice the significant shift from the traditional, Nuclear and Extended Family, to the now popular Matrifocal Family type. This phenomenon dates back to Slavery where the male slaves were not housed with the females. Never the less, Slaves found ways to reproduce. This resulted in the Female having to take care of the children alone.
ReplyDeleteLack of a male, forces the woman to become the head of the family as well as to take on the added role of the breadwinner of the family. Resulting in the children being left without supervision and the proper guidance that they require and may start committing illegal acts. Added to this, the male child, as he is growing up will have no idea of his role in the household. He would adhere to the mother’s actions leading him to become ‘soft’ or homosexual. And in doing this since he would not know the role of the male when or if, he has children. He would not know what to teach them or how to guide them as well as how they should treat a female individual. Female children, having no father figure present, will not know how they are to be treated and respected by a male. If they don’t have this guidance, many males can take advantage of them, through means of abuse, rape, prostitution and other factors. Some males who lacked a father figure in their life may run away from the challenge of parenting, resulting in more Matriarchal family types being established.
The main point is that not all children who have absentee fathers stand no chance in life, but that fathers play an important and integral role, balanced with that of the mother, in the upbringing of a child.
Student Name: Ronnard Ramlochan
Student I.D: 812002629
In the days of slavery, African slaves were not allowed to stay as families, with the men separate and the women with the children. In the days of slavery, fathers were forced to abandon families but at present times, fathers abandon their families to pursue their own desires. Both parents are needed in a family for it for it to be successful, efficient and easy for everyone in it. In the Caribbean there is an increase in single parenting, mostly with matriarchal families.
ReplyDeleteFathers play an important role in the life of the family. They are the breadwinners and caretakers of the household. Their responsibility is to provide for the family so the mother can stay at home and nurture the children. Fathers are also the role models for their children. This masculine figure in the home sets down values and morals for the children. This role model as a father is needed to guide the children, especially the boys because when the father is absent, then they turn towards another male figure to look up to.
With the absence of fathers, the mothers have to take care of the children. This is very difficult as the single mothers have to work to provide for the family as well as make the time to take care of the children. Many single parents hardly have time for their children and this affects the mental well-being of the individual. As known through many songs and poems, ‘there is no love like a mother’s love.’ Many times the children from these households start spending more time with their friends and forming gangs.
A family needs both the father and mother as they each have distinct responsibilities. Single parenting is extremely difficult and this has a great impact on the children’s lives.
SALEEM ABDUL AZIZ
810001275
The issue of absentee males date back to the days of plantation. Since male and female slaves were separated on Estates, the children will have no choice but to grow up with their mothers. This matriarchal led issue was more common amongst the African Slaves that the Indentured labourers who were allowed to have a family where both parents were present in the offspring’s life. As a result of this fatherly absence, the women had to take full responsibility taking care of their children. This therefore, resulted in the growth of matriarchal families. This matriarchal way had continued and is seen today in Caribbean society. It is quite a massive responsibility for a woman to assume both roles as mother and father. This is mainly due to the fact that she has to be the nurturer and the breadwinner of the family. Fathers not only can help their children develop positive self-esteem, but also influence the development of their children’s gender role behavior. There are quite a few things that a father can teach his children that a mother can’t. Fathers are significant for both boys and girls. For instance, boys can learn from their fathers about growing up as a male, male interests, activities, and social behavior. Girls can learn from their fathers to develop a trusting comfortable relationship with men. Loving fathers also have a positive influence on achievement in boys and personal adjustment in girls. Fathers provide limit setting, moral reasoning, and reasonable and firm guidance without imposing their will can help promote their children’s competence. In conclusion, the absence of a father comes with many negative impacts. The mother, being a breadwinner, would have to work twice as hard just to raise her children in the case of a matriarchal type family.
ReplyDeleteSharmila Ellis
812000407
In the Caribbean today the make-up and structure of the household has changed greatly throughout the year. The nuclear family is considered the ideal family in today’s society, but the absences of a father or male figure is very common. The role of the man in the family is very important but is sometimes not there. During slavery the man or father figure was absent because slaves were not allowed to have families and the men and women lived in different divisions in some cases, so the raising and care taking the child/children was left to the women. In the cases where the slaves were allowed to have families and raise them, the care of the children was still left to the women, because it was considered a womanly job. The women then had to juggle whatever work was given to them by their master, and when they got to their homes, still had the necessary house work to do, and take care of their families.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s society you will find similar things happening, where both parents work but when then mother comes home from work she still has household responsibilities, and the children to care for. However this isn’t always the case as there are many single parent families, where there is no female present. In both cases the children can be at a great disadvantage going up because of the lack of female/ male presents, to guide and assist the our parent in the care and growth of the child/children.
Seatonia Blackman
812117429
The absenteeism of males and the birth of a matriarchal/female led households for modern day society in the Caribbean has greatly impacted on the development of societies.This problem came about as a result of the plantation system.On the plantation men weren't able to get time to take care or play an active role in their family.As such,had no responsibilities to take care of their children and or family.Today, the descendants have also adopted this type of lifestyle causing an increase in matriarchal families. The role of family members is different in Caribbean families. The father's role is economic provider and protector of the family. They are also involved in the discipline of the children, especially the males, and often have a distant relationship with their daughters. Now a days, they are not actively involved in childcare, especially for young infants. This can be seen as not caring for their children and tend to feel that women are better with children at this stage. However, the late twentieth century some men becoming more involved in their children's lives, spending more time playing and talking with them.The mother's role is to take care of the children and be the primary nurturer in the family. They are also the primary caretakers of the home. Children are required to be obedient, respectful, and submissive to their parents. Girls are expected to help with domestic chores around the house, whereas boys are expected to do activities outside the house, such as taking care of the yard and running errands.
ReplyDeleteWith this combination a child is more balanced and will know his or her role in life.Results have also sow that with this family structure the child would be better suited to handle life and become successful.
In matriarchal households,no matter how great a mother is, she cannot replace what a father provides to a child.Nor can a man replace a woman. Even though we don't hear about it their are single dads out there making that extra effort for their children but cannot do the job alone.The absence of males have a higher percentage in the Caribbean and is said to be the reason for most of the chaos.Children loose their identity and what they really stand for and also brings about what i think a disturbing concept of homosexual.
I believe a good solution to this, is to have if absent, either a male or female role model depending on the situation.So that, the child will still be able to find his or herself in the roles that they play.
I conclude by saying that both male and female roles are important in a child's life and in the absence of one can have consequences.Men however, really need to step up and make an effort to be there for their children.
JOEL HENRY
ID#812002079
REF: 1 http://firstthings.org/importance-of-positive-male-role-models
In the Caribbean there is many types of family types found. Nuclear, single parent and visiting parent. The ideology that follows with these types mostly single parent and visiting parent home is that without a role model being present the child would gain low self esteem or motivation by not having a father to look up to or a mother. Growing in the Caribbean is more home being led by mothers. This is not a bad thing because mothers go out of their way to provide for their children and some men may lack responsibility or may have social problems with the mother and decide to leave. Children in such instances either grow up without a father figure but this doesn't hinder there life simply because there are single parent home where mother is the breadwinner and provides everything where children come out of and made it successful. A logical reason for this is that during slavery when slaves were captured men were set to work, looking up to a owner who had his own way with these women, different day different woman. Seeing this has brought it into men that it is all right to do so. Women choose to be breadwinners in the house hold more now because women are offered opportunities if not in education in jobs where they can earn a proper wage to provide for themselves without a man or male figure being there. This trend can be stop once responsibility are kept. What children see is what they learn because they don't know right from wrong so that is why there should be proper institutions of learning and a stable household in order to raise a good child to be a great citizen.
ReplyDeleteKeron Brache
812002813
The forced relocation of persons from Africa to the Caribbean during slavery led to most of its inhabitants being of African descent. Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have approximately equal quantities of persons of Afro and Indo descent. Caucasians, Chinese, Syrian-Lebanese and Indigenous people are minority groups found within the Caribbean. Absentee males and the matriarchal family are a sad legacy of slavery and continue to negatively impact modern day society in the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteSlaves were considered property during slavery and were unable to enter into legal matrimonial unions so they often formed visiting or common law relationships. The male was often the property of a different slave master from his mate. Any children produced by the union were considered the property of the female’s owner. Families were often fractured by the sale of its members and grandmothers were often forced to raise “artificially orphaned” children.
Women have a reproductive role as the child bearers and raisers in society. When men are absent from the home women are forced to gain employment outside the home or seek another relationship for financial support. Many community leaders are female because of the absence of males willing to assume community leadership positions. Matriarchal heads of families therefore have a triple burden. The matriarchal household from slavery has been reproduced in the Caribbean society with disastrous effects. Women who have struggled and successfully raised their families are worthy of praise but the crime statistics and social problems clearly indicate that this family structure is not the ideal. Both sons and daughters need a father. The father naturally is able to command ‘fearful’ respect and what passes with a tenderhearted mother is often disciplined by a father. The family is more financially stable with a true father present and children perform better at school and become productive members of society. Boys need a male role model and girls are least likely to engage in premature relationships when a loving father is present.
Veronica Williams-Bunbury
810004517
The absence of male figures in households in the Caribbean is most common within the African population. The fathers would usually leave the household and provide economically for their children leaving their mother to deal with the social aspect of their upbringing. This type of family organisation does not occur as commonly in the other two ethnic groups, Indian and Chinese that makes up the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteIn this matriarchal family structure the mothers are left to take care of their children alone. This is as a result of slavery days where fathers were not allowed to stay with their children as they were kept in separate places on the plantations. Normally one would expect that there should be two parents involved in the day to day upbringing of a child in order for him or her to have acceptable social and emotional outcomes.
The absence of fathers in families can be a burden on the mother especially if he is not providing economically for his children. Mothers would have to work double time in order to gain a suitable enough income to raise her children. This would then lead to less family time meaning less time for the mother to raise her children properly teaching them good morals and values. In some instances the mother is not able to work double time and cannot afford to take care of her children. This poverty can then lead to sons getting involved in crime to satisfy his needs.
Also when a boy grows up in a family with females only such as a mother and 2 sisters, there will be no male role model in the family and the boy will find it normal to engage in female activities. This is one of the causes of homosexuality in Caribbean households.
Despite all of this being said, there are many families in which fathers are absent and the mother does a satisfactory job of raising her children on her own.
Liam Wiltshire
812000980
There is definitely a sexual stereotype against the Caribbean men and the role that they play in family households. There is a stereotype of the males being absent in their child’s life and that single parent homes are female dominant. This matriarchal family can be traced back to when the male plantation workers were not allowed to play a sufficient part in their offspring upbringing. Adult male slaves were primarily relied on to tend the fields, pastures, and garden while the females and young children usually served as domestics, tending to the master’s family as cooks, servants and housemaids.
ReplyDeleteToday fathers are seen as the breadwinners in the household and with the absence of them the female has to take up the responsibility of both parties leaving their child to develop on their own; creating a social issue. Therefore the presence of a father or a father figure is vital in the upbringing of a socially develop child. They had down characteristics to both their sons & daughters; in the case of a son he’ll pick up on how to function in today’s society and to protect and respect; and daughters would see the way males suppose/not suppose to function. These characteristics can also be passed on from family members such as uncles and even neighbors. It can also be noted that children brought up in a single parent household tend to have behavioral & psychological disorders.
duane cockburn
812001785
The need for a mother is well established in our Caribbean culture ,but fathers in recent years have often been considered unnecessary this is because most families has been raised without a father and in most societies this can be considered normal. This trend originated from the various effects of the plantation system.
ReplyDeleteIn the plantation system, African women and men had separate jobs; men were mostly in the refinery while women work was mostly based in the sugarcane fields. The plantation owners were in total control of the women on the plantation; hence the men were not given the responsibility to care for the children and to be an active part of the family. Men were left to adopt a life style which didn't afford them the opportunity to play an active role in their children’s lives because plantation owners were afraid that the father’s leadership instincts will come into play and will cause uprising and revolts. This scenario can be seen in the recent times where families are raised single handily by the mother.
The culture of the African people can play a major role in the creation of the Matriarchal/Female lead households in the present Caribbean today. In the African culture men were allowed to have more than one wives and so the ideology of the people was women were caretakers of the children and men were just providers or not around due to work, so men didn't play a major role in the lives of their children. Also women were abused and rape by both the white masters and their fellow black men and so the mother had to endure the hard ship of raising the child on her own.
It can be argued that children who grow up without a father are at a disadvantage to those who grow up with one because there are a few roles that fathers play in the development of their children, such as
He is a calming influence. When dad is in the home there are fewer conflicts and less physical abuse. His calming influence normally produces a family environment in which children feel safe. They talk freely, laugh more, and very few ever run away. Dad sets the limits. Because of his influence teens are less apt to use drugs or alcohol, less likely to engage in sex before marriage, and the sons are less inclined to commit crimes Dad encourages moral and emotional stability. Daughter from two parent families relate to men on a mature basis because they have learned from their fathers self-respect. These fortunate young people are also successful in school and in their vocations. They teach their children to play and play is valuable in teaching children to control their emotions and to deal with personal problems. While there are many activities such as little league ball, hunting, fishing, computer games, and family cook outs, the real value of an event is child rearing through family companionship.
.Darryl Coolman 82002730
In modern day society one can see the gradual decrease in the size of one’s family in the Caribbean, starting from a fairly large extended family in which most members of the family including grandparents, aunts and uncles live in the same house or housed in the same yard to a nuclear family in which only the wife, husband and child/children live in the same house. Today’s more popular single parent family in which only one parent is present (usually the mother) has lead society into matriarchy and also into wondering where all the men have gone. Women playing both parental roles in a family may hinder the development of a child into a respectable adult as a woman’s perspective without the male’s perspective to counter balance may cause a young man growing up in society to believe that being an absentee father is acceptable or cause a young woman to believe that a father figure may not be a necessity in a child’s life. Young men growing up with a single parent mother tend to be rebellious as there are no male role models to correct and guide them into manhood. In the time of slavery slaves had no rights over their possessions everything on the plantation belonged to the plantation owner even one’s family (wife and children included) belonged to the plantation owner and he had authority to do whatever he pleased with his possessions including raping and killing anyone of them. Perhaps this may be the cause of all family problems associated with Caribbean males as the early European settlers forced the idea of not owning your wife and family into the minds of our male ancestors causing it to mature into the abandonment of the family in its entirety.
ReplyDelete# 812001868
NAME: Kristoff Toussaint
In the Caribbean society to present most households have moved from extended families to single parent families, where the women usually takes charge and heads the household. This maybe so as women are also dominating in the professional world and less is getting married as they can provide alone for their family. Women are taking up the role as both mother and father in the household, providing financially as well as teaching morals and values. This independence however of being the one taking care of the children single handedly, dates back to the plantation society where the women were the ones inside supervising and teaching the children while the men were out in the fields or boilers working.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of absentee males more over “a father figure “is a prudent and upraising issue in society today. Fathers are important since they are the primary and most valuable support person for the mother during pregnancy and child birth. Children who grow up without their fathers have a significantly worse outcome, on average, on almost, every measure of well being (Horn 2002). And this would result to children growing up, to believe that a father isn’t important to a family, girls especially suffer from depression, promiscuity, addiction and they have failed relationships. Boys would not have that father son bond where masculine traits are taught and then they lose out and probably adapt slower to those masculine activities compare to children who have had a father figure in their life. However we cannot put the blame on present day men since male figure have been absent since the plantation days. Therefore the pattern has been recurring throughout time to this present day, leaving little to no example of a true male figure to this day
Reference: Healing Hearts and Families Counseling: The Importance of the Father/ Daughter Relationship; Melodie Mack.
Danielle Howell
811003776
In the Caribbean today, it is a known fact that there are a large amount of matriarchal families rather than nuclear or extended families. In the Caribbean, many males are neglecting their roles as fathers, role models, husbands and breadwinner in the family. This has impacted hugely in the Caribbean society today. This issue originated from the plantation days, where slaves were not allowed to have a relationship because the male would have to most likely be out on the field working, which would not give them time to have a family life even if they wanted to.
ReplyDeleteAccording to studies, without a male figure in the family, children (mostly boys) are led astray to becoming delinquents. They would not learn properly of how to become a “man” so to speak.it is a known fact that the majority of males lack education, thus it is a proven fact that more females have jobs than males. This is another factor, which leads to the obvious conclusion that there is an abundance of matriarchal families in society today. Although the female is financially stable enough to raise a child, a farther figure is still needed. Because of these changes in our society, many men are being forced to develop family relationships that are quite different from those they had with their own fathers.
The main point is that both genders, male and female, need both a farther figure and a mother figure present as role models to look up so that they would grow up to be responsible adults.
ID# 812002145
Matriarchal led households exist in great dominance across modern Caribbean society today, where there is an absence of a male parenting figure and mothers take up the central roles of parenting, leadership and moral.
ReplyDeleteFathers and male role models, whether they are aware or not, play a very critical role in the development of their children. A child needs a father to love and care for them on a consistent basis.
A father or male figure’s presence in a household can be very significant in promoting healthy gender identity in a child. Mothers and fathers socialize differently with their children. Fathers however, can help their children, especially boys, to develop a healthy sense of what it means to be a man. This will in turn help to lower male homosexuality in the Caribbean. Fathers also provide a strong sense of physical and emotional security, especially for their girl children. Many of these characteristics of male figures in the household, though achievable, are simply very difficult to attain in matriarchal families across the Caribbean.
A father is important in being a positive male role model no matter what sex his child exists as. Active fathers can promote positive behaviours by setting a proper example for their children. Having a father in a household means that responsibilities will be divided between parents. The family will be better off in many ways example financially. Sadly, many matriarchal families exist in the poorer parts of our own home island of Trinidad example, Laventille.
In conclusion, many fathers are uncertain and misinformed about the responsibilities and privileges associated with being there for their kids despite whatever circumstances Caribbean societies offer. But for the ones who remain actively involved in raising their children, they can definitely make a positive and long lasting difference in their lives.
Justin Josh Boodoo
812002996
Today the base family structures are grandmother dominated households, common law unions as opposed to marriage. Because of this the matriarchal or female lead family structure is very promenant.
ReplyDeletethis is nothing new to the caribbean region as a lot of the practises that were established in slavery have continued. The practise of the absentee father during slavery was not one of choice but a forced practise.African slaves were not allowed to have families. If an enslaved couple had children, the progeny would have to grow up with the mothers and the slaves were housed separately according to gender. the role of the mother therefore became one of nuturing and guiding the children and this is a concept that is seen today and men are not usually seen as the parental unit responsible for child raring. some men however take their role as parents serious as modern times have began to change and warp gender roles.
In the growth of the child men are more seen ad the disciplinarians and providers of pretection as well as the major breadwiners so as to suport the child financial needs. the man is not seen as the home maker.
The role of the man in the house is not to be undervalued.The impact of absentee males can be very negative. The absence of a male head of the household is important especially for the male children of the family. This male figure of authority can be used as an exemplar.
hiram tobias
808011252
Not only in the Caribbean but around the world there are stereotypes about the impact of absentee males in households. The stereotypes; "irresponsible male"; the "marginalized man"; and the "absent father” are common labels amongst the societies of the Caribbean. For instance as a Montserratian woman said: "Women do run the households. West Indian men don’t like to do any work at all either. ..……..It is the women who become responsible". Some men are far more involved in positively contributing to family life than popular stereotypes suggest. There are both present and absentee fathers in Caribbean families. that creates social issues which impact on Caribbean society are absentee fathers in the household. Due to the lack of a father figure in some households there is juvenile delinquency in both male and female. For instance, in the Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper an article entitled “Absent dads lead to delinquency’’ this article states issues faced in Trinidad and the primary cause are absentee fathers.
ReplyDeleteAnother impact is some females tend to look for older men to have a relationship, hoping for the love and affection of a father. The males don’t know fully how to treat a woman and child due to the lack of a male figure, no real life or everyday example. Further the roles of a father; to love, protect, provide, support, teach and to be responsible, just to name a few. A responsible and present father will portray these roles and better exemplify the correct idea of a model father figure in many instances to create a responsible individual.
In modern day society there is the structure of matriarchal/female led households. A matriarchal led household has both its pros and cons.
Engle, P. L. (1994). Men in Families: Report of a consultation on the role of men and fathers in achieving gender equity. New York: Unicef
2 http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,142333.html
Student Name: Renee Davidson
Student ID: 812117260
As a result of eighty to ninety percent of Caribbean families stemming from an African background, there is no doubt that legacies of the plantation still exist in modern day society. During the times of slavery it was very common, almost the norm for matriarchal led households, as most slave owners did not even allow the men to be able to live with their family, as this may have led to a power struggle. Also, many slaves were rotated between different plantations, which made it almost impossible to build a family with the mother of their children. As a result of these factors and many more, in modern society today most men have no problem in leaving behind their family and moving on with their life, as to some of them, this is all they know, as they too were brought up in matriarchal led homes with no male figure to look up to in sight.
ReplyDeleteMany households which exist without male figures, have been known to produce children that do not act in accordance with the norms of society, where many boys engage themselves in drugs or gangs, because they have no strong male influence to lead them on the right path and teach them things that a mother may not be able to, or may not fully understand. In addition to many girls also engaging in acts of promiscuity, which has been known to be a way for them to gain the attention of a man which they never had the chance to experience, which many see as a way of acting out and a method fill the void they have to cope with of not having something as fundamental as both your parents.
Makeda Derrick
Student ID: 812002849