Families on the Verge of Breakdown? Views on Contemporary Trends in Family Life in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Abstract

As in many other countries, family life in Costa Rica has changed in recent decades. Marriage is declining, divorce and separation are on the rise, out-of-wedlock births are increasing, and women head a growing number and proportion of households. Nationally and internationally, statements issued by the media, government bodies and the religious establishment indicate that these trends have provoked anxiety about “family breakdown.” Yet it is less well known if similar concerns are felt at the grassroots. The present paper explores reactions to family change among 176 low-and middle-income women and men from different age groups in Guanacaste province, northwest Costa Rica. A key finding is that although some trajectories in family life are perceived as encompassing possibilities for new, more flexible and egalitarian domestic arrangements, others are regarded as weakening family unity. Moreover, concerns about “family breakdown” are more common among adult males than their female counterparts or younger people. The reasons behind these disparate views relate to social, legal, and economic processes that have destabilized “traditional” gendered divisions of labor, power, and rights within Costa Rican households.

The ‘Feminisation of Poverty’ in Costa Rica: To What Extent a Conundrum?

“…Although INAMU has been plagued by shortfalls in budgetary pledges and rather frequent ministerial turnovers, the efforts of Costa Rica's state machineries for women earned praise in the fourth periodic report submitted to CEDAW (2003) for achievements in education, employment, healthcare, political participation and legal resources. Beyond this, and important in the context of the present article, there is greater protection and advocacy for the rights of vulnerable women and more fl exible notions of 'family' than are often found elsewhere ( Chant, 2002 ). Aside from the fact that Costa Rican women have long had fairly ready access (in principle) to divorce and legal separation ( Chant, 1997: 137 ), the material and social viability of 'non-standard' households (notably those headed by lone or non-formally married mothers) has been bolstered in various ways by post-1990 legal reforms in relation to domestic violence, consensual unions, acknowledgement of children born out of wedlock and women's entitlements to property ( Chant, 2007: Chapter 6 [stipend] for up to six months during which time they were expected to take courses in personal development (including the building of self-esteem) and in employment-related training ( Chant, 1997 : 151;Marenco, Trejos, Trejos and Vargas, 1998: 52 ).…”

“…Yet despite the progressive tertiarisation of the Guanacasteco labour market, its basis in tourism has meant little reduction in the seasonality of employment. Not only does Guanacaste persist in having one of the highest levels of underemployment (17.9 per cent) in the country, but one of the highest rates of temporary and permanent out‐migration (Chant, 2002).…”

“…As Juanita (67) commented, when men marry or start living with someone, what they really want is an empleada [domestic servant]. In previous research with men, I had also found that many looked for what they referred to as a segunda madre [second mother] or madre‐esposa [mother‐wife], who would attend to their needs, overlook their faults and at the same time allow them to exercise authority (Chant, 2000, 2002).…”

Pampered Sons, (Wo)manly Men, or Do‐nothing Machos? Costa Rican Men Coming of Age under Neoliberalism

“…1 Although studies suggest that traditional gender roles and hierarchies endure, despite shifts in men's and women's employment status (Mannon, 2006), there is a growing sense of crisis in men's ability to be ‘men’ under neoliberalism (Chant, 2000). Indeed, Kabeer (2007) cites research showing that men are experiencing anxiety over women's rising employment because it signals a decline in men's household authority 2 Chant (2002a). finds that men in north‐west Costa Rica blame women's labour force participation for encouraging women to go ‘too far’ in asserting their rights in the household.…”

“…2 2 This anxiety has been linked to the erosion of men's self‐esteem, conjugal breakdown and increased levels of family violence on the part of men (Gutmann, 1996; Chant, 2000, 2002a, 2002b; Kabeer, 2007). …”