Family Changes and Public Policies in Latin America*

Abstract

The transformation of the Latin American family has attracted increasing attention in sociodemographic studies, particularly those oriented from a gender perspective. This article reviews progress in the field and evaluates the links between families and public policies. It begins by focusing on the nature and meaning of modifications in family structure and dynamics (size, composition, headship, type and stability of unions, division of labor, and ways of living together). It then evaluates the extent to which there is agreement or disagreement between family changes and government initiatives. It focuses on programs oriented toward reconciling work and family and actions designed to highlight and sanction domestic violence. It concludes that, despite much that has been achieved, the actions taken so far are insufficient. It is essential to develop more complex analyses and explanations and to design reliable indicators that make it possible to monitor progress and omissions and gauge the scope of what remains to be done.

Consensual Unions in Central America: Historical Continuities and New Emerging Patterns

“…According to demographic surveys conducted around 2000, the median age at fi rst union for women was slightly over 18 in Nicaragua and around 19 in Honduras and Guatemala (Monteith et al 2005 ). Union disruption and migration -to other Central American countries or to the United States -are also frequent in the region, and are two major factors contributing to the relatively large prevalence of femaleheaded households, which currently represent nearly one-third of all households in most countries of the region (CEPALSTAT; García and de Oliveira 2011 ).…”

Couple and family relationships in Latin American social comparative studies

“…In the 1990s and 2000s, researchers began to observe increased frequencies of never-married persons, separations, and divorces, as well as a rising age at first union Couple and Family in Latin America 112 (García & De Oliveira, 2011). Arriagada (2001) also reported more divorces and recomposed families.…”

“…In Latin America, the traditional family model with a sole male provider and a woman who is a wife and a mother devoted exclusively to housework and caretaking is changing, as well as female participation in decision-making and the control of women by male spouses (García & De Oliveira, 2011).…”

“…However, social and gender inequalities are still found in households: double shifts burdening women, family violence and less autonomy for women. Family dynamics also includes division of work, including the division of extra domestic and domestic work and caretaking, usually associated with traditional gender roles.In Latin America, the traditional family model with a sole male provider and a woman who is a wife and a mother devoted exclusively to housework and caretaking is changing, as well as female participation in decision-making and the control of women by male spouses (García & De Oliveira, 2011).Another important theme refers to social care and protection associated with couples and families. In Latin America, the family has been considered as the basis of welfare providing support for elders, young people when leaving home and adolescent mothers (Sunkel, 2006).…”

Traditional and modern cohabitation in Latin America

“…This situation contributes to the incidence of households headed by women in Latin America. These types of household have been related to the feminization of poverty in the region (Arriagada 2002;García and de Oliveira 2011). Greene and Rao (1995) used Brazilian data beginning in the 1960s and going into the 1980s to analyze the increasing incidence of cohabitation, the chances of living in cohabitation instead of being married, and the likelihood of choosing marriage or cohabitation instead of remaining single.…”