Family Life

Haitians place great importance on family life. In rural areas, the extended family has traditionally been the social unit. However, deteriorating economic conditions, which brought many peasants to the cities in search of work, have caused a shift in society: The nuclear family has replaced the extended family in certain urban areas. But family ties remain close, and family members tend to be supportive of one another; intergenerational conflicts are rare, but increasing because of urbanization and efforts to identify with the world at large.

Men and women play complementary roles, generally sharing household and financial responsibilties. Women assist in farmwork, performing such tasks as weeding and harvesting. At home, women are generally responsible for childcare and the daily household tasks, while men do heavy chores, such as gathering firewood.

In general, Haitian women have been more active in the labor force than women in other Latin American countries, perhaps because the rewards for their labor are greater. In the coffee industry, marketers (persons who transport coffee beans to local and urban markets to sell) are almost exclusively female; they are known as "Madam Saras." Income earned from agricultural production belongs to both husband and wife, but income earned from nonfarm business activities does not have to be shared with the husband, and, as a result, many women are economically independent.

The most common form of marriage among the lower classes is known as plasaj, a kind of common-law marriage. Although the government does not recognize plasaj as legitimate, this relationship is considered normal and proper among the poor. Although the upper class may say they disapprove of the practice, many men of the elite have children by mistresses and provide financial support for their second "family." Thus, plasaj, in one form or another, is practiced by 85% of the Haitian population.

A man or woman may have a number of plasaj relationships in a lifetime. Children born from one plasaj relationship regard offspring from another plasaj as brothers and sisters and often live in the same household without conflict. If parents separate, a child may take either the father's or mother's last name.

Haitians value both their family reputation and their children, and take pains to ensure that all children receive equal inheritances. Children are considered a gift from God, and are treated accordingly. Children also provide security in old age.

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