CAPE Sociology Unit one module one

1. CAPE 2011 - Unit 1 Module 2
What are three relevant social factors that contribute to single parents being accepted as a reality in the
Caribbean society?
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The Caribbean society is characterized by numerous family patterns, those being the single parent and matrifocal
household, the extended family and more recently the nuclear family. This question requires an understanding of the single
parent family and the reasons for its acceptance. As the name itself suggests, the single parent family consists of only one
parent living with his/her child or children. It is evident that there are an increasing number of single parent families in the
Caribbean.
The following factors must be considered:
(a) The growing independence of Caribbean women: Numerous women in the region are experiencing social mobility due to
the economic transformation of the region (Stone, 1973; Gordon, 1983) and the availability of educational opportunities
(Miller, 1991). Consequently they are less willing to rely on the support of men and are able to care for their children on
their own. Robert and Sinclair (1978) maintained that as women experiencing greater social mobility and are to enter the
middle class they are more willing to raise their children on their own.
(b) The Socio-economic conditions of the Caribbean society: Lewis (1965), Smiley (1963), Clarke and Frazier (1949) have all
considered the economic problems facing Caribbean men and women. Lewis maintained, under his culture of poverty
theory, that poverty is one of the main cause of the matrifocal and extended family in the Caribbean. Clarke maintained that
as more women are unable to provide for their children, they are willing to engage in non-nuclear family patterns and this is
one of the main reasons for the prevalence of the visiting union in the region and the single parent household.
(c) The marginalization of Caribbean men: Errol Miller (1991) maintained that Caribbean men are becoming very marginal in
the family. This he blames on the feminization of the schooling system, the household and the gradual mobility of Caribbean
women. Smith (1965) and Frazier (1949) considered instead the effects of the plantation system on men which lead them to
abandon the household. Barrows (2001) maintained that there is no such thing as the marginalization of men in Caribbean
families and argued that Caribbean men are simply anti-family.
(d) Migration: Migration is a serious issue in Caribbean society and has led to the prevalence of the single parent, extended
and matrifocal family in the Caribbean. Due to the economic problems facing Caribbean people parents tends to migrate to
provide for their families. It means them that children are often left with one parent, or a sibling. Sometimes, the other
parent, especially the father, does not even return. Ferguson (2006) maintained that over the years more women than men
are migrating and this has had a detrimental impact on the development of children.
Of importance is that the Caribbean reason has a diverse platform of family structures. While the single parent household is
prevalent, the nuclear family and the extended family also characterize the region. [During this discussion, please consider
the factors that have led to the development of other family patterns in the region – African retentions, the changing roles
of women, legislations, the importance of religion or secularization]