Family Structure in Latin America



Family Structure in Latin America

The question that will be addressed in the topic is the second one which is:

Q2- How does the idea of “making kin” influence family structure and kinship patterns in Latin America, particularly the Andes? Gendered parenting practices and expectations? What is the role of violence in creating kin ties? How do people understand perceived biological ties vs. ties of affinity? You must carefully consider the meaning and impact of kinship in your answer.

Ans2- The importance of kinship, family structure and modernization is Latin American is quite high. There is a difference in the family structure among different classes of populations. The difference is probably because of the socio-economic status among several families. There is a focus on many aspects that mostly deals with extended family relations known as “parentesco” and with fictive kinship ties known as “compadazrago”. The other aspect that is vital for the topic is the description of kinship patterns in Andes region. There are various family structures in this region that has created an effect on the overall country in a different way. The importance of genders in the family structures have not only gained a lot of value in the Latin Countries but this development has taken place on a global level (Berry, 1998, 87).

The society of Latin America is mostly male dominated but the women have even achieved a lot of success in their career over the past several years. There is a strong relationship between families and households. In any house, where there is a family, the structure of households even becomes possible. The design of household structure becomes very important for family because as it creates a guideline for the whole house. In a typical household family in Latin America, men go for work and women stay at home to look after children and manage the household related work. In the Andes Region, this is normally the phenomenon in most of the houses. However, this trend is gradually changing and many women now prefer to leave the house in order to go for work rather than carrying out their customary household task. In the past 25 years there have been several personal and social situations, which have caused a shift in the structure of families in Latin America. This factor has led to an accelerated growth of families formed by single or divorced women that directly impact the family and disappeared in the children's father figure which cannot be retrieved easily in adolescence. Such situations are found in Caribbean nations, where unlike Catholic customs, allowed the union without legal commitments and where the children can be affected. The changes that have taken the family structure in Latin America that included the decrease in the number of children and increase in the number of single mothers, maternal absence due to work and others. The size of households declined in Latin America, due to campaigns that formed public policy inspired by the UN, which produced ...