Social

• There are many parent support groups available for all stages of parenting. Ante-natal groups teach what couples should expect during pregnancy, childbirth and the first weeks of having a new baby. Other groups offer support for parents of older children who feel they need extra help when their children enter puberty.
• Juvenile delinquency: includes any kind of antisocial behaviour by young people, e.g. getting drunk and disturbing others, vandalism, intimidation, fighting, shoplifting and missing school. A juvenile delinquent might be in trouble with the police and cause tension in their family. Reasons for delinquency include: poverty, lack of opportunity, dysfunctional family life, peer pressure and boredom.
• Teenage pregnancy: carries physical and mental health risks for the mother. Her education may be interrupted or ended, affecting her employment prospects. Unplanned teenage pregnancies can also put financial, emotional and mental strain on extended families. Causes of teenage pregnancy include lack of education, irresponsible behaviour and failure to use contraception.
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): STDs can be hard to detect as they may not cause symptoms. This increases the risk of these diseases spreading. Untreated, some STDs such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia can cause infertility. HIV is an STD that can lead to AIDS, which is incurable. Causes of STDs include lack of condom use, people having multiple sexual partners and a lack of testing.
• Child abuse/incest/domestic violence: child abuse is any action (or neglect) that harms a child physically, sexually or emotionally. When sexual activity occurs within a family this is called incest. Domestic violence describes one family member physically attacking another. Such attacks cause emotional, psychological and physical damage. Sometimes the perpetrator has psychological issues. Abuse and violence against others is illegal.
• Desertion: usually, but not always, it is the father that leaves the family. Absent fathers must pay maintenance towards the care of their children. A family who are deserted face emotional difficulties as well as financial challenges. Causes of desertion may be an unhappy marriage, a lack of commitment or a person starting a new relationship.
• Suicide: someone taking their own life is also a form of desertion and carries the same effects. In addition to facing financial, emotional and psychological hardship, families may feel guilty that they were unable to help the relative who has died. Suicide is often linked to depression, stress, financial or relationship worries.
• Care of the aged and those with special needs: elderly people who do not have family to care for them may live in a care home or have carers look after them at home. They may need expensive medication. People with special needs also need dedicated care. Caring for a dependent relative requires time, effort and patience. Carers may have little time for work or other activities and may suffer financially as they are unable to work.
• Alternative lifestyles: there are many different ways to live. People can have multiple sexual partners, they may not marry, they may be in a same-sex relationship or they may withdraw from society and live a reclusive life. Some people are concerned that alternative lifestyles damage traditional values.
• Street children: homeless children may have escaped an abusive family, been evicted, been orphaned or their relatives may be too poor to care for them. Street children face physical and financial hardship as well as emotional challenges. Some may have addictions to substances such as glue, drugs or alcohol. Substance abuse can lead to a dependency on crime to fund an addiction.
• Human trafficking: illegal trade in people is increasing. Occasionally, parents may be so poor that they sell their children to traffickers who promise a better life. Sometimes children are stolen. Poor women may be tricked into leaving their home with the promise of work. When they reach their destination, these women and children may be sexually exploited, treated as slaves and kept against their will.
• Poverty destroys people's choices and gives little hope for the future. This can lead to unsociable behaviour, crime, psychological damage and addiction. Children who live in poverty are less likely to do well in school and may feel hopeless about their future, resulting in reckless behaviour. Lack of money may mean that aged dependants or those with special needs are neglected. If poverty is tackled, other social problems will improve. Charities run projects to help people work their way out of poverty.
• Lack of education is linked to many social problems. Educating people about the risks of irresponsible sexual behaviour reduces the number of unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of STDs. Providing a good education and helping young people gain qualifications helps ensure employment and an escape from poverty, leading to fewer delinquents, homeless children and damaging behaviour. Adult education improves self-esteem and employment chances.
• Through cooperation, social agencies recognise and address social concerns. Where children have been mistreated or neglected, parents may need help and support in parenting skills. In extreme circumstances, children are taken away from their families by social services.
• When a person commits a crime they may be sent to prison or a detention centre or have to carry out community work. It is hoped that these sanctions will help to correct their behaviour. Following their punishment, ex-offenders should be reintegrated into society. Charities across the region help with this.
• Strategies for dealing with social issues will only work if people want to change. People are always free to choose. The support of families and friends is essential if a person decides to change their way of life.
• When someone dies, their money or property must be shared out according to their will. This prevents family members from taking assets not intended for them. Without a will, possessions are shared between the family, prioritising the deceased person's partner and children.
• All Caribbean countries have legislation to protect children, most of which derives from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Family Law Act is based on these rights. Childcare legislation ensures that children under 18 are protected by their parents. Child-related laws also state that, following divorce, the parent caring for children receives maintenance money. Often joint custody will also be dealt with legally.
• Legal separation gives a couple rights during separation. Usually these relate to money, property and responsibilities for children.
• A divorce is the legal ending of a marriage following separation. During divorce settlements, decisions are made regarding the sharing of assets. One partner may pay money to help support the other (alimony). Annulment is the ending of a marriage due to it being declared invalid.
• All Caribbean states that have accepted the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) must uphold laws against domestic violence. There are also laws to protect children against violence. Some laws need to change to incorporate mental and emotional as well as physical abuse, as well as to incorporate women in common-law or visiting relationships.
• Cultural diversity occurs when people from different cultural or ethnic groups live together in one place. Within the Caribbean, people of African, European, American, Afro-Indian, Asian and Middle-Eastern ethnic groups live together. Mixing cultures brings a variety of festivals, food, art and tradition to the Caribbean. It can also cause tensions.
• The earliest ethnic group to settle in the Caribbean were the Amerindians who came from Central and South America around 4000 BC. The Taino people from the Orinoco river area arrived around 500 BC. Amerindians still live in the Caribbean today, particularly in St Vincent.
• Africans were transported to the Caribbean in the 17th century as slaves. Most countries in the Caribbean have a majority Afro-Caribbean population.
• The influence of European culture is present in the Caribbean through Christianity and festivals such as Christmas and Easter. Europeans arrived in the Caribbean in 1492.
• Asian influence came with the arrival of indentured workers from China and India in the 19th century. With these ethnic groups came Hinduism and Islam, along with their many festivals.
• Today, these cultures fuse to create diversity in the Caribbean. Traditions are kept alive through festivals, crafts, food, literature and religion. Many cultures form their own groups to promote and protect their ancestral customs.
• The Caribbean's rich cultural mix is attractive to tourists, who like to try the different foods available and visit cultural and historical places. People also come to the Caribbean to experience carnival. Tourists can buy traditional art and crafts and pay to watch traditional dancing and music.
• Society is made up of different social groups. These groups meet and interact regularly, share common goals and interests and meet expectations for accepted behaviour.
• Primary social group


  Small, members interact frequently and directly, relationships are personal and each person belongs to the group based on who they are, membership is normally involuntary
• Secondary social group


  Larger and less personal, interaction is less frequent or temporary and the group may be split into smaller work groups
• Formal social group


  Organised group with an elected leader and written rules, members might wear a uniform and there are usually formal requirements for joining and leaving, cooperation is required by all members
• Informal social group


  More relaxed, with no clear structure or rules, and members may join or leave voluntarily at any time
• Groups need to have cohesion. Formal groups that have a clear aim work best with a figure of authority to facilitate and guide the group, often delegating tasks. Leadership styles range from dictatorial to democratic. A successful group requires commitment and loyalty from members and acceptance of the group leader.
• An institution can be an accepted pattern or custom in society (a norm) or an established, formal group within society, such as the church or the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
• Over time, a social norm becomes accepted practice. Handshaking, conversing with others, dressing appropriately and celebrating birthdays are all social norms. Casual social norms such as these are sometimes called folkways. More important social norms arise from the accepted values of society. Norms closely connected with moral values are known as mores. They often form the backbone of society and influence laws in a country, e.g. the more to hand in lost property that you find to the police stems from the moral value not to steal. Some values change over time, affecting social norms. For society and organisations to develop, they must be flexible and adapt their norms and values in line with societal changes.
• Organisational institutions


  • Hierarchical structure
  • Symbols and rituals
  • Specific function
  • Written (accepted) rules and fixed sanctions
  • Endures over time
• Economic institutions include banks, building societies, credit unions and trade organisations. Also industries that produce goods and raw materials that contribute to the economy of a country.
• Educational institutions include schools, colleges, universities, adult education classes, libraries and any organisation that teaches skills and knowledge. These institutions, particularly for children, also have a role in the socialisation of individuals.
• Recreational institutions include organisations that provide leisure activities and entertainment for people.