Women Of Color Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women Of Color - Essay Example No sacrifice was complete without women participating in it. They enjoyed rights equal to men, with full liberty to receive education and prepare themselves in their own manner, to face the arduous battle of life. They had full voice in the settlement of matrimonial relations. Many nations affirm the principle of gender equality. As women continue to advance in most walks of life, the impression that equality has been reached and that gender issues no longer pose real problems has naturally gained ground. Yet, many cultural, economic and social barriers remain. Although as many women as men possess the skills necessary to shape social and economic development, women are still prevented from fully participating in decision-making processes. Today the role of men and women in our society is both collaborative and supplementary. During the last five decades women have entered in increasing numbers into salaried and remunerative occupations as well as professions, which were previously the exclusive preserve of men. Today the difference that while women in former days worked along with men in the fields, now they work in factories or offices. The myth of male superiority is only a distortion that came in the wake of growing male domination. It is a paradox th at there should be an increase in crimes against women, especially in the face of spectacular strides being made by them in various walks of life. Emancipation of women has occupied an important place in the scheme for social reforms undertaken in developing countries of Asia and Africa, in the later half on the 19th century. Violence against women remains pervasive worldwide a major health and human rights concern. Women can experience physical or mental abuse throughout their lifecycle, in infancy, childhood and/or adolescence, or during adulthood or older age. It is the most atrocious manifestation of the systemic discrimination and inequality women continue to face, in law and in their everyday lives, around the world. It occurs in every region, country, and culture, regardless of income, class, race or ethnicity. Violence against women in developing countries have becoming mere frequent and is alarmingly on the increase. Today in almost every stratum of our social life, women are treated as inferior creatures. Almost all countries go about shouting about constitutional equality between man and women, but have yet to go long way before women find an equally safe and honorable place in society. The newspaper daily read and hears about ladies living in busy localities being murdered in broad daylight. It is so because they have some yellow metal on them. Rape is not the only motive force behind the crimes against women. A woman, by her very constitution, is vulnerable. In poor countries Young girls are deceived on promises of a decent job or marriage. Once a girl has fallen, she is blackmailed into a life of vice. To get a feel of the widespread evil of crime against women, only requirement is to know the experiences of working girls from the moment they leave their home up to the time of their return. At all times they are

Human Resources Presentation Outline Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Presentation Outline Essay Complete a slide-by-slide outline of your Human Resources Presentation using Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®. Consider the layout and the speaker’s notes for each slide in addition to the wording on the slide. Include the following in your outline: On each slide: List the main topics. List two or three subtopics. In the speaker’s note section: Describe the layout or appearance of the slide. Include a brief description of the text the speaker notes will contain. Human Resources Presentation â€Å"Team Presentation† As senior members of the human resources team, you have been asked to give a presentation on the state of the union to the board of directors. The presentation must include past, present, and future legal issues. Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation with detailed speaker notes summarizing your findings to the board. Use complete sentences, with correct grammar and punctuation, to fully explain each slide as if you were giving an in-person presentation. In your presentation, include at least two main points for each of the following bullets: †¢State and federal statutory and regulatory enactments related to patients’ rights and responsibilities †¢Current principles of patient consent and the resulting implications for the health care industry †¢The current state and future trends of physicians’ rights and responsibilities in the delivery of health care †¢Current components and implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (LINDA’ part) †¢Brief summary of current and future trends for statutory, regulatory, and common law requirements of confidentiality in the health care industry  (LINDA’s part) †¢Current and future legal and ethical obligations relating to the documentation, retention, storage, and use of medical records Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines and References. Each one of us is doing a total of 4 slides 2 for each bullet, so I only need a total of 4 slides.

Essay --

Psychiatry Psychiatrists are physicians whose jobs focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, addictive, and emotional disorders. With a few family members with mental and behavioral disorders, psychiatry stands out to me as a job I would really like to do. It has made me realize how scary these disorders can be and how important the right treatment is. My parents, my grandparents, and many aunts and uncles have professions in the medical field, ranging from pharmacists, family practitioners, to anesthesiologists, but no psychiatrists. Doing something in the medical field has always been both a dream for me and an expectation from my family. Psychiatry is something that I have always been interested in and would like to maybe pursue later on in life. What do psychiatrists do? Psychiatrists specialize in mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. They can prevent, diagnose, and treat these disorders by helping patients and their families deal with things such as stress and crises, diagnostic tests, psychotherapy, and prescribing medication. Psychiatrists have ...

Medical Analysis of The JFK Assassination :: John F. Kennedy American History Essays

Medical Analysis of The JFK Assassination Dr. Charles Crenshaw's book Conspiracy of Silence caused a minor sensation when it was released in 1992, even attracting the attention of the New York Times. Coauthored by Jens Hansen and Gary Shaw, it told several conspiratorial stories about the assassination, and especially about the role of Dr. Crenshaw, then a resident physician at Parkland Hospital, in the care of John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald. It has since been reprinted as Trauma Room One. Among the "interesting" things that Crenshaw claims are: The back of Kennedy's head was blown out, clearly implying a shot from the Grassy Knoll in front of Kennedy. A small wound in Kennedy's throat was an entrance wound, proving a shot from the front, and not from the Sniper's Nest behind Kennedy. Parkland doctors, knowing there was a conspiracy, have feared to speak out. The President's body was altered between Parkland Hospital and the autopsy at Bethesda. And the most sensational: Lyndon Johnson called the operating room were Oswald was being treated and demanded a confession be extracted from the accused assassin. Conspiracy authors, wanting to push the idea of a shot from the Grassy Knoll, have lapped up Crenshaw's account. For example, Gary Aguilar quotes Crenshaw as follows: He, with co-authors, Jens Hansen and Gary Shaw, recently published a book, "Conspiracy of Silence" (Crenshaw, CA, Hansen, J, Shaw, G. "Conspiracy of Silence". 1992, New York, Signet). Crenshaw has claimed both in his book and in public interviews that the President's head wound was posterior on the right side. In "Conspiracy of Silence" he wrote, "I walked to the President's head to get a closer look. His entire right cerebral hemisphere appeared to be gone. It looked like a crater—an empty cavity. " Conspiracy writer Gary Aguilar accepts Crenshaw's account. His essay on supposed "back of the head" witnesses is useful and interesting — although many of his assessments of the testimony are to be treated skeptically. How does Crenshaw know such things? According to the book, he had a central role in treating Kennedy. Yet when the New York Times called up Crenshaw in reponse to his book, he backed away from the book's claims as to how central he was, saying that Hansen and Shaw "took poetic license" on this issue. Crenshaw "admitted . . .that the role he played in Kennedy's case was minor." See the Times of May 26, 1992. It hardly inspires confidence in the book when Crenshaw says things like this.

What is Judaism according to Heschel?

According to Rabbi Heschel Judaism was that whenever somebody mentioned the name Judaism, it was like taking about either somebody citing a poem, God the father or someone who lived a spiritual life. Since many people believed that without God everything is impossible, Heschel tried to come out clearly that people need to be strong in faith despite all the difficulties they are going through. He also stressed out that everyone should be able to live peacefully with each other by forgiving one another whenever there is a problem between them. (Merkel, 1985, p. 2) (Heschel, 1985). The word of God was for everyone no matter what they do, where they come from or whatever language they speak. One way of making people understands the word of God was to write and come out clearly about religious teachings. They were also being taught how to live in harmony and how to confess to one another whenever there is a problem among them. (Merkel, 1985, p. 3) (Heschel, 1985). According to Heschel, Torah’s ways of giving out ideas or explanations about Judaism was like a reflection of what has been happening in our daily lives as it was written in the bible. God the Father also appears as a very bright light to show people that they should believe and have faith in Him all the time. (Merkel, 1985, p. 4) (Heschel, 1985). Heschel join one of the spiritual congregations where he became more spiritual and strong in faith. This attracted very many people as it was a good example of a Jesus follower. It also made many people to listen, understand and believe in the word of God. (Merkel, 1985, p. 5) (Heschel, 1985). Rabbi was so much into Christianity that he could not have time to come together with other people in his congregation. This made the people of his congregation to say that he was over doing the work of Christianity. He also tried to make people have peace, love, and unity and go as far celebrating mass as a sign of commitment to God. . (Merkel, 1985, p. 6) (Heschel, 1985). Everyone was to understand the word of God in the right way and apply in their daily life. This was made to encourage the weak people who were not strong in faith to be able to participate in duties that strengthen their faith. The difficulties that the people of Israel experience on Mount Sinai were a big challenge for them in their life. This is because from there is when man had really believed that God do exist. (Merkel, 1985, p. 7) (Heschel, 1985). He brought the image of God as he appears to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is when Moses’ people had no faith in God and started worshipping other gods. God became angry and appeared to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments that could guide and make his people believe and trust in God. The Ten Commandments were written so that everyone should believe that all the writings were truly from Jesus but not Moses. (Merkel, 1985, p. 8) (Heschel, 1985). Moses is also portrayed as good leader because he is seen leading his people from Israel to Misery as per instructions given by God. This is when God appeared to him as burning bush when he was looking after the cattle. By then they had no commandments to follow but they still believed in God as their creator and source of inspiration in their life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 9) (Heschel, 1985). As it is seen in the bible that by the time God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, his people had already lost their faith and started worshipping other gods. This made it very difficult for Moses to make all of them believe in the Ten Commandments given the God. It implies that not all Moses’ people accepted the Ten Commandments. That, s why there are always new laws every generation. (Merkel, 1985, p. 10) (Heschel, 1985). Though there were some people who disagreed with Moses as he gave them the Ten Commandments, majority believed on the Ten Commandments that made many generations that comes after them to accept and follow the Ten Commandments as it was meant to strengthen people’s faith in their daily life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 1) (Heschel, 1985). People should be in a position to understand and believe in Jesus’ signs as it was written in the bible. They need to accept that even though they can’t see some of these things happening now, they had already happened before and their fore fathers believed in them. So it’s a big challenge to them to accept the reality of the past. (Merkel, 1985, p. 12) (Heschel , 1985). As it is written in the bible that when Jesus went to Cana and wine got finished during the wedding, He asked for water and turned it into wine for the people who were in the wedding. And also when there was a lot of wind when he was with James and John in a boat, He stopped the wind. These two signs show that God is always there for his people and He will always present in them wherever they go. (Merkel, 1985, p. 13) (Heschel, 1985). It is good to believe in what you understand best than to believe in what you don’t know. This only comes out when you really accept, believe and have faith in the scriptures of the bible. You should be able to relate the scriptures of the bible into your daily life and try to practice them in your life because this is only way to strengthened your faith. Merkel, 1985, p. 14) (Heschel, 1985). Moses was one of the most prominent leaders that God used to show people the right way of life that will remain a remembrance in life to everyone. These are written in the bible so that everyone can understand whatever happened in the past during the reign of their fore fathers. (Merkel, 1985, p. 15) (Heschel, 1985). It is also important to preach or translate the scriptures of the bible according what was written rather than preaching the things which do not exist to people. This is because whatever is being taught now will remain as a history for the coming generations. They should understand that the scriptures of the bible are holy words from God the father but just a normal human being. (Merkel, 1985, p. 16) (Heschel, 1985). God communicated to his people through the scriptures by sending prophets to perform various signs. This can be seen as he ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only son, appearing to Moses as burning bush, saving his disciple from drowning during the strong wind and raising Larus from death after four days. All these events remain as a history to every generation that comes and it will always be there to guide them in their life. (Merkel, 1985, p. 17) (Heschel, 1985). The covenant between God and Moses on Mount Sinai was a sign of an agreement between the people of Israel and God. It made easier for the people of Israel to communicate to God and adored Him as their only savior. So for the people of Israel to communicate to God they had to understand the scripture, translate it and relate to their daily life. Merkel, 1985, p. 18) (Heschel, 1985). The covenant made on Mount Sinai lead to various activities to be performed by man. This is where man had to obey the holy Sunday, do not kill, do not steal, obey their parents so that you can live longer, believe in God all the time and always standing firm to tell truth. Even the people of Israel went as far as fasting in order to strengthen their faith which remained as history to all the coming generations. (Merkel, 1985, p. 19) (Heschel, 19 85). When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, it does not mean it was the end of everything that God had to give his people. It implies that the door was still open for more teachings in the future. This encourages people to believe and trust in God as their only comforter during the trial moments in their lives. (Merkel, 1985, p. 20) (Heschel, 1985). The bible was not written as book to be read but as scripture to guide people in their lives. It was supposed to be read, understand the meaning of the scriptures and translate and then preach the right words of God to the people. This would inspire many people to read the scriptures of the bible and know the reason why Jesus sacrificed to suffer on their behalf. (Merkel, 1985, p. 21) (Heschel, 1985). As seen that it is very easier for the people to live as God’s people when they both understand the bible very well. Therefore it is good to make people believe in Jesus as their only guidance in life. When you follow the right path that is God’s foot steps, you will find life interesting and encouraging no matter what difficulties you may be going through. It also makes man become a strong Christian which remains as an example to his forth coming generations. (Merkel, 1985, p. 22) (Heschel, 1985). Jesus loves the world so much that he bled and died for the human kind. So it is the work of the man to be able to follow God’s commandments in order to fulfill God’s promises. It does mean that God made it so difficult for the man not to enjoy life but to have good life both in the world and in heaven. That is why Jesus forbids man not to do some of the things in life. It is not a punishment but a lesson to prepare them for both life in the world and the kingdom of God. (Merkel, 1985, p. 23) (Heschel, 1985). Everyone should be able to carry his own cross when it comes to serving God because you will be judged according your own deeds but not on the behalf of someone else. Man must be able to know the scriptures of the bible so that it can able to apply it any time in his or her life. This will also help people to have time worship God because everyone is a position to read and interpret whatever information which is in the bible. Merkel, 1985, p. 24) (Heschel, 1985). Conclusion: Judaism is all about the past events that happened during the reign of the prophets like Moses, Elijah and Abraham. These are the days when God used to communicate to man through prophets. The prophets could see God in visions, signs and symbols then go and communicate to the people according what they have seen in their visions or symbols they had received. They had to exp lain all the details of what God told them. So that is how man communicated to god in older days.

Agenda Setting Essays

Agenda Setting Essays Agenda Setting Paper Agenda Setting Paper 1. Agenda Setting Theory the creation of what the public thinks is important History and Orientation Agenda setting describes a very powerful influence of the media – the ability to tell us what issues are important. As far back as 1922, the newspaper columnist Walter Lippman was concerned that the media had the power to present images to the public. McCombs and Shaw investigated presidential campaigns in 1968, 1972 and 1976. In the research done in 1968 they focused on two elements: awareness and information. Investigating the agenda-setting function of the mass media, they attempted to assess the relationship between what voters in one community said were important issues and the actual content of the media messages used during the campaign. McCombs and Shaw concluded that the mass media exerted a significant influence on what voters considered to be the major issues of the campaign. Core Assumptions and Statements Core:  Agenda-setting is the creation of public awareness and concern of salient issues by the news media. Two basis assumptions underlie most research on agenda-setting: (1) the press and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape it; (2) media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues. One of the most critical aspects in the concept of an agenda-setting role of mass communication is the time frame for this phenomenon. In addition, different media have different agenda-setting potential. Agenda-setting theory seems quite appropriate to help us understand the pervasive role of the media (for example on political communication systems). Statement:  Bernard Cohen (1963) stated: â€Å"The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about. † Agenda Setting   as   defined in â€Å" Mass Media, Mass Culture† is the process whereby the mass media determine what we think and worry about. Walter Lippmann, a journalist first observed this function, in the 1920’s. Lippmann then pointed out that the media dominates over the creation of pictures in our head, he believed that the public reacts not to actual   events but to the pictures in our head. Therefore the agenda setting   process is used to remodel all the events occurring in our environment,   into   a simpler model before we deal with it. Researchers Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw have then followed this concept. McCombs and Shaw as pointed out by Littlejohn have best described the agenda setting function   in their book  Emergence of American Political Issues. In this book the authors point out that there is abundantly collected evidence that editors and broadcasters  Ã‚   play an important part   as they go through their day to day tasks   in deciding and publicizing news. This impact of the mass media- the ability to effect cognitive change among among individuals, to structure their thinking- has been labeled the agenda-setting function of mass communication. Here may lie   the most important effect of mass communication, its ability to mentally order and organize our world for us. In short, the mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about. (McCombs and Shaw, 5) The common assumption of agenda- setting is that the ability of the media to influence the visibility of events in the public mind   has been apart of our culture for almost half a century. Therefore the concept of agenda setting in our society is for the press to selectively choose what we see or hear in the media. 2. Development Communication You must also know that communication is used as an empowerment tool. In other words, communication is used as a tool to facilitate the participation of people in development activities. Knowledge and information are essential for people to successfully respond to the opportunities and challenges of social, economic and technological changes. But to be useful, knowledge and information must be effectively communicated to people. Millions of people in developing countries are excluded from a wide range of information and knowledge, with the rural poor in particular remaining isolated from both traditional media and new information and communication technologies which would improve their life. Here, in ‘development communication’, you see that there are two words- ‘development’ and ‘communication’. By now, you know what communication means. You have also learnt that communication is a message understood or sharing of experience. When we refer to communication, in the context of development, we refer to various types of communication like interpersonal, group and mass communication. Now let’s try and understand the term ‘development’. It is not easy to define this as it depends on the context. Development is about change. It is about changing for the better. It could be about social or economic change for improvement or progress. When we refer to development communication, it is about such communication that can be used for development. It is about using communication to change or improve something. Here we use different types of messages to change the socio-economic condition of people. These messages are designed to transform the behaviour of people or for improving their quality of life. Therefore, development communication can be defined as the use of communication to promote development. Those who write or produce programmes on issues related to development are called development communicators. Role of a development communicator The development communicator plays a very significant role in explaining the development process to the common people in such a way that it finds acceptance. In order to achieve this objective a development communicator: has to understand the process of development and communication; should possess knowledge in professional techniques and should know the audience; prepare and distribute development messages to millions of people in such a way that they are received and understood, accepted and applied.

Social Institutions of the Family(Notes) Essay Example

Social Institutions of the Family(Notes) Essay Example Social Institutions of the Family(Notes) Essay Social Institutions of the Family(Notes) Essay The Social institution of the family There are various types of Caribbean family forms. The emergence of the different types was largely due to historical influences that shape Caribbean civilization. Caribbean society has grown into a cosmopolitan mixture of different races and ethnic groups that construct their reality in the Caribbean. This mixture has resulted in a unique social system; plural, polarized, politicised, problematic, but still some what plantation society. This has impacted the type of family units that emerged in the region. The roles expectations by Caribbean society of mother and father coupled with the different socialization of boys and girls have influenced the many structural ways in which families are built and maintained in the Caribbean. This also affects issues related to gender construction in the family. The ever increasing proportion of matrifocal and common law unions are products of history as well as other social trends that are both local and international in scope. Family forms in the Caribbean A family can be defined as a social unit of common residence involving two adults who are in a sexual relationship. Children of either of the adults, from both, or who have been adopted also form part of this family unit. The most popular family forms in the Caribbean are: The family based on common-law union (consensual cohabitation) The nuclear family The family based on a visiting union (extra-residential) The matrifocal family The extended family The East Indian family Other family types are sibling families due largely to migration of parents, and grandparent-headed families. What are the reasons for the existence of the various family forms in the region? Some theorists such as Melville  Herskovits (1958) attribute the prevalence of certain types of Caribbean family forms to African society and some of the social institutions and social dynamics of those societies. The nuclear family The domestic unit of husband, wife, and child or children is regarded by many people in the Caribbean as the ideal family structure that comes into being ith the marriage of the partners. However where the nuclear family was established in the Caribbean, its existence as a small domestic unit did not always last very long, even among the middle and upper classes in these societies. The family based a common-law union The common law union is another type of domestic unit with the same basic relationships as those in the nuclear family, that is, adults are united in an ongoing bond but the bond is not based on the family as faithful concubinage (T. S Simey, 1946). To all intents and purposes the spouses are committed to each other sexually, they raise children in a stable relationship and the family functions as an economic unit. Because of the prevalence of this type of union and the existence of the relationship that it brings into being on the birth of children, several Caribbean governments have given legal recognition to these unions. Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua have passed legislation that affords the children of such union legitimate status as heirs to family property. Common law unions have also been known to exist for many years without persons in the community being aware that the union has not been made legal with a wedding ceremony. The family based on a visiting union A frequent occurrence in the Caribbean is the domestic unit of a woman and her child or children. In this family form, the mother and her child or children live separately but may be visited from time to time by a man with whom she shares a relationship similar to that of a spouse. The man may or may not be the father of the child or children. Quite often such a visiting union begins with a young woman being impregnated while still living in the household of her mother or parents. RT. Smith (1956) in his work on low income black families in Guyana noted the following: â€Å"It does nor by any means follow that a man will be expected to marry the girl. He will certainly be expected to support the child if he is able, and he may continue his attachment to the girl and other children be born. † R. T. Smith (1956), The Negro Family in British Guiana p. 138. Smith further stated that the relationship may eventually lead to the establishment of a common-law union. The woman, in order to take care of herself and her children, may then start a sexual relationship with another man and thus may end up having several children with different men. Financial burden and emotional strain of raising children arising from such unions can be quite overwhelming. The Matrifocal family In Caribbean society, the matrifocal family is the term used to describe unit in which women are the focal point. You may also see this form of family referred to as the ‘female headed household’ in some literature. In this form of family adult males are absent from the family unit or if they are present their role in domestic routines is marginal. A woman is usually the head of the household or family unit. This type of family structure is so armed because power and authority tend to reside in the female head. However, there, are some domestic units in which females are responsible only for a day-to-day running of the affairs of the family. Males as lovers or brothers, or fathers of the children may be the ones who make the crucial decisions about major financial undertakings or schooling for the children. Thus, absence of a male head may not necessarily mean absence of male authority. The East Indian Family The East Indian family units which  are prevalent in Guyana and Trinidad  and Tobago are also the result of plantation society and the introduction of indentureship  at the end of the slavery period. These family units are horizontally extended  as the East Indians seek to maintain their sense of community and kinship bonds that are influenced by their religion. East Indians maintained, initially, most of their family traditions. Over time, some of these traditions have been creolized while some have changed alongside social changes being pursued in post-colonial Indian societies. Endogamy still persists as well as some forms of horizontal family forms. However, these are changing as the strong traditions of colonial India lose their grip on some Indo-Caribbean social institutions. The movement away from the extended family household by the younger generation of East Indians will also affect other Indian institutions over time. Why the diversity? Researchers have offered a wide range of arguments concerning diversity within the family in the Caribbean. Three viewpoints put forward: cultural retention, plantation system of slavery and socioeconomic factors and the culture of poverty Cultural retention and family diversity Melville Herskovits (1958) in The Myth of the Negro Past, was one of the first to trace the development of Caribbean families to the African origins of the slaves who to the Americas. Herskovits believed that despite attempts to strip African slaves of their cultural heritage, the practice of polygyny was retained from African culture. Where polygyny existed, the basic unit for affective bonding and closeness was the mother and child or children. The husband/ father were somewhat marginal in this unit. Herskovits maintained that this pattern has persisted Caribbean society and culture, especially among lower class people of African descent in the Caribbean. Plantation system of slavery M. G Smith (1962) wrote that under plantation slavery, stable families were not give a chance to develop. Unions of whatever sort were often broken up as slaves and were sold. The unit of mother and child or children was less likely to be torn apart than the man/wife/children unit. Male slaves were also denied property and family rights, and a system of female centeredness emerged and developed. Males therefore tended to be marginal to family units and this marginalization from family meant that slave children were property of white slave masters. Socio-economic factors and the culture of poverty The proponents of this approach including Oscar Lewis argue that poverty of low in come families of African origin in the Caribbean and the Americas prevents the males from making the financial contributions that they ought to and as a consequence the find it difficult to meet their family responsibilities as husbands and fathers. Overtime, matrifocality becomes an accepted pattern of family living and family relationships. It becomes a feature of the subculture of poverty. Lewis conducted his study in the urban areas of Puerto Rico and Mexico. He argued that the presence of matrifocality is transmitted from one generation to the next. Further, the urban environment encourages unstable family unions due to a number of socioeconomic factors such as unemployment and poverty. Males tend to desert the home because of inability to effectively carry out the bread winner role. The absence of regular employment that women are forced to enter successive relationships with a number of different males in order to subsist. Each male may father a child or two before deserting the woman and her family. Edith Clarke in her study ‘My Mother Who Fathered Me’ illustrates the combined effects of class and region/locality on family forms. Clarke’s comparative study of three towns in Jamaica suggests that families in affluent urban areas are more likely to be nuclear. Those in rural and urban slums are more prone to be visiting union, common-law or matrifocal. The primary reason noted is wealth and statusnstitutions of the