Essay Topic: Discuss the extent to which there is a FIT between the matrifocal family and the

Caribbean as a whole.

According to George Peter Murdock in a study entitled Social Structure 1949 (as cited by
Haralambos and Holborn 2008): The family is a social group characterized by common
residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two
of whom maintain a socially approved relationship, and one or more children, own or adapted, of
the sexually cohabiting adults.
When one thinks of family, the first meaning that comes to mind is: family is a group of
people consists of parents, children and other relatives, but the family is not a necessarily a
group, hence, of course, every person or individual can or may define family very differently.
However, the difference is only in words used, but the core significance remains the same. Based
on my opinion, family is the most important thing one has in life, because it influences children
who are the future of this society and world , it is the only thing one can rely on, and it is what
consists society.
The functionalists view on the family unit as a construct that fulfills important functions and
keep society running smoothly. The functionalist identify a number of functions families
typically perform; reproduction, socialization, care, protection, and emotional support,
assignment of status and regulations of sexual behavior through social norms. For the
functionalist, the family creates well integrated members of society by installing the social
culture into children. A British Anthropologist from the early twentieth century who contributed
to the development of the theory of structural functionalism, Radcliff-Brown proposed that most
stateless, primitive societies, lacking strong centralized institutions, are based on an association

of descent groups. These clans emerge from family units. Structural functionalism also took on
the argument that the basic building block of the society is the nuclear family, and that the clan
is an outgrowth, but not the other way around. Durkheim was concerned with the question to
how certain societies maintain internal stability and survive over time. Based on what was said
above, Durkheim argued that complicated societies are held together by organic solidarity.
The feminists view the family as a historical institution that has maintained and perpetuated
sexual inequalities. The conflict perspective views the family as a vehicle to maintain patriarchy,
which is gender inequality, and social inequality in society. According to conflict theorists, the
family works toward the continuance of social inequality within a society by maintaining and
reinforcing the status quo, hence, through inheritance, the wealthy families are able to keep their
privileged social position for their members. Conflict theorists have seen the family as a social
arrangement benefiting men more than women, which allows men to maintain a position of
power. Symbolic interactionism is a social theory which emphasizes mostly on the analysis of
patterns of communication, interpretation and adjustments between individuals in relation to the
meanings of symbols. Symbolic interactionist explores the changing meanings attached to
family. They argued that shared activities help to build emotional bonds among family members
and that marriage and the family relationships are based on negotiated meanings. This
perspective emphasizes on that the family reinforce and rejuvenate bonds through symbolic
mechanism rituals, for example family get away weekends, family picnic. Google define
matrifoal as the base on the mother as the head of the family or household. The concept of the
matrifocal family was introduced to the study of Caribbean societies by Raymond Smith. He
linked the emergence of matrifocal families with how households are formed in the region: "The
household group tends to be matrifocal in the sense that a woman in the status of 'mother' is

usually the head leader of the group or family, and conversely the husband or father, although
head of the household is usually marginal to the complex of internal relationships of the group. A
family or domestic group is matrifocal when it is centred on a woman and her children. The role
of family members is different in Caribbean families. 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 should not be
construed as not caring for their children; they tend to feel that women are better with children at
this stage. However, the late twentieth century saw some men becoming more involved in their
children's lives, spending more time playing and talking with them (Roopnarine et al. 1996). The
mother's principal 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 (Evans and Davies 1996). The family structure that
currently exists in the Caribbean today has been influenced by several historical and social
factors such as slavery, industrialization and for example; poverty. E. Franklyn Frazier and
Michael G. Smith propose in their writings that Caribbean families are simply the product of the
plantations turns around the family, the family here could be the parents and relatives as well as
the friends and environment. It would be hard to imagine ones life without a family, because it is
what builds our future, what we can count on, it is the essence of the society.

Reference
Smith, Raymond T. (1996). The Matrifocal Family: Power, Pluralism and Politics. New York,
NY: Routledge.

Caribbean Families - Family Structure - Single Parent, History, Development,

Children, and African - JRank
Articles http://family.jrank.org/pages/203/Caribbean-Families-FamilyStructure.html#ixzz4WatMkGMH

Haralambos and Holborn sociology themes and perspectives 8th edition.