Sexual Behavior in Jamaica and Bahamas

Monogamy and Infidelity in Jamaican and Bahamian Culture

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island of the Greater Antilles situated south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. The sexual behaviors and attitudes in Jamaica are diverse as Jamaicans begin their sex life at a relatively younger age. The Jamaicans have always been open to sexual exploration as men and women are equally inclined to legal and illegal sexual practices.

Bahamas

Bahamas is situated in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba off the eastern coast of Florida. Bahamian culture is a mixture of European, African and Caribbean cultures. Bahamian culture also reflects a multifaceted sex life. The infidelity has outdated monogamous and fair sex relationships.

Similarities and Differences between Bahamians' and Jamaicans' Sexual Behavior

Monogamy in Jamaican and Bahamian Culture

Webster Dictionary defines Monogamy as the state or custom of being married to one person at a time or of having only one mate at a time. Unfortunately Monogamy has been a diminishing custom in Bahamian and Jamaican culture. In both Jamaican and Bahamian culture marriage does not imply any limit on all extramarital sexual relationships. The sex culture of Jamaicans and Bahamians is well conveyed by Roberts who wrote:

“Sociologically, marriage does not necessarily connote the commencement of a family

union; demographically, it does not necessarily connote the commencement of exposure

to the risk of childbearing” (Roberts,1955:200).

In Jamaica two types of union mainly exits. First one is legal and socially recognized monogamous marriage and the other is consensual marriage. In the past few decades the family involvement in the marriage of individuals has declined as the individuals prefer to select their spouse at their own. A newspaper The Kingston Chronicle revealing the status of monogamy in Jamaica in historical perspective reveals that the couples who had married since August 1834 could not keep their marriage monogamous as almost every black man owns plurality of spouses.

Similarly Bahamians also preach monogamy as standard marital attitude but the practices of Bahamians have nothing to do with the prescribed parameters

Infidelity in Jamaican and Bahamian Culture

Infidelity refers to the violation of a promise, loyalty and ethical ties in a marital or sexual relationship. Infidelity has significantly replaced sexual relationships in legal, marital and ethical frame in Jamaica and Bahamas. The adolescents start their sex lives at a quite younger age when they have hardly entered their adolescence. According to a survey conducted by the University of West Indies, sexual activities highly exist among Jamaican adolescents who never bothered to have a legal binding for their sexual activities as one third of females and almost half of the males between the age group of 15-19 were sexually addicted with multiple sex partners. For example, the case heard on Jamaican media about the intense quarrel of 30 year old Marcia Barrett 37 year old Michael White was really tragic as it resulted in the death of Michael who was alleged to have an affair.

Bahamians media convicts infidelity cases on a day to day basis. Homosexuality and affection display between couples ...