Book

Family structure in Jamaica: the social context of reproduction

Free Press of GlencoeNew YorkPublished In 1961 • Pages:

By: Blake, Judith.

Abstract
This work is a study of reproductive motivations and family structure among the lower classes. It aims to highlight the attitudes, institutions, and conditions inherent within Jamaican society that could help to constrain the birth rate, which is considered an obstacle to economic development. Trained personnel interviewed 99 rural and urban women, and 53 of their partners. Although the author does not give definite recommendations as to how to limit population growth, this study is valuable because it is the first to systematically investigate reproductive motivation and birth control attitudes in Jamaica. The findings challenged the established views of other social scientists of the time, as well as many popular beliefs.
Subjects
Drives and emotions
Marriage
Nuclear family
Premarital sex relations
Sexual intercourse
Conception
culture
Jamaicans
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Caribbean
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Sociologist-4,5
Analyst
Heather Fellows ; 1976
Field Date
1953-1954
Coverage Date
1916-1956
Coverage Place
Jamaica
Notes
By Judith Blake in collaboration with J. Mayone Stycos and Kingsley Davis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-257)
LCCN
60010893
LCSH
Family--Jamaica
Sex customs--Jamaica
Birth control--Jamaica
Fertility, Human