Household structure and fertility on Jamaican slave plantations: A nineteenth-century example
- 1 November 1973
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Population Studies
- Vol. 27 (3) , 527-550
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.1973.10405499
Abstract
It is generally agreed that the marital instability and casual mating characteristic of West Indian family structure depress fertility. These conditions are traced to the mating organization of the slaves. The stresses placed on the Mrican family systems of the slaves are obvious: the continued importation of slaves, most of them young adult males; the ruthless separation of kin through sale or removal; the overwhelming authority of the master, reducing the dependence of children on their parents and the economic role of the male household head. Yet, in spite of these stresses, there is evidence of strong bonds of kinship and sense of family among the slaves.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Population of JamaicaPublished by Cambridge University Press (CUP) ,2013
- Some Aspects of Mating and Fertility in the West IndiesPopulation Studies, 1955