Family Practices and Culture of Haitian People

Introduction

Every family has its own traditions, customs, and rituals. These practices, along with understanding of them, bind relatives to one another and reinforce those connections over time. This paper covers the content of exploring and recognizing the culture of my family; Haitian family. With this task to perform, I approached my grandfather to explain me the in-depth details of our family culture and all the significant virtues that we do as a legacy from our fore fathers.

Culture can be described as the specific system of standards or rules a person attributes to the membership of the group as a result of her experience. A person's cultural preferences may contain several cultures which he /she attributes to different sets of other persons. Therefore, it is quite interesting to explore other people's culture and know the reality behind the published talks.

Discussion

My interview for exploring the family culture of my family, Haitian people was an experience worth notifying. Haitian society is matriarchal society, but the man has ultimate control. However, when we, the people of Haiti, came in the United States, the relationship became more egalitarian. Our family practices require us that husbands and wives view one another as partners in a "companionate marriage." Children must be regarded as individuals who required love, nurture, and special education. Parents are very conscientious about child rearing and child development (Jackson, pp. 5). The father assumes the position of sole breadwinner for the family, and the wife reared the children. Women are defined as morally superior to men and looked as the guardians of civilization in our family. Family practices highlight that mothers must play an active role in the lives of their sons by instilling in them a moral conscience. Although the household became the domain of the mother, fathers continued to play an active role in their children's lives. Fathers are also advisers and disciplinarians, especially to their sons. The primary goal of both parents is to develop the child's conscience and his and her ability for self-government (Davies, pp. 5).

More than 80% of the unions in Haiti is a common-law or 'plasaj'. There are a number of relationships plasaj is not uncommon, and polygamy is accepted in men. A person making health care decisions can be varied between mother, father or an older family member. In homes where both parents, the roles seem to follow gender. Women are responsible for the children and home, but the economy of Haiti seem to dictate that a woman deserves. Since many Haitian households are single parents, women have to do all the work, while also supporting the family financially. Haitian women rank at the bottom of the various investigations of sex and suffer from a high of domestic violence. Married women in Haiti were legally in the minors until 1979.

Family is very important in Haiti and emigration does not mean that their duty to family, Haiti has been reduced. Family members who have moved are still financially responsible than ...