Ly Unique Ways Of Dominican Republic Family Life. Although The Dominicans Values Are Influenced By North Americans, The Upholds The Spanish Tradition Of Familial Solidarity. The Family Unit Is A Great And Important Part To Every Family Life; They Look To Their Relatives And Family For Support And Help, And Maintain Really Close Bonds. Until The 1970s, Nearly All Community Activities Were Family-based And Even Extended Families Frequently Worked Together In Shared Efforts. Most Family Life Consists Of Two Generations In The Household; However It Is Still Widespread To Have Three Generations Living In The Same House, With The Oldest Male Having The Biggest Authority.In Addition To Blood Relationships In Family Life, People May Have Relations Of Compadrazgo Or Co-parentage. Godparents Or Compadres Play A Vital Role In Their Godchildrens Lives. They Are Chosen Before The Child Is Born And Are Expected To Help With The Childs Education, Career, And Even Finances. In History, The Compadrazgo Relationship Is Believed To Be So Important That Rafael Trujillo Used It To His Advantage, Where He Conducted Mass Baptisms At Which He Happened To Be The Godfather Of Thousands Of Peasants Children.Because Of The High Cost Of Religious Or Civil Wedding Ceremonies, A Lot Of Poor Couples Do Away With Them. They Just Live Together In Common-law Relationships. If The Relationship Does Not Work Out Or Dissolves, The House Where The Couple Lived Is Usually Given To The Woman. Child Support Is Supplied Only If The Child Is Legally Recognized By The Father. Civil Wedded Couples Can Rather Easily Dissolve The Marriage; On The Other Hand, An Annulment Is Needed From The Roman Catholic Church For Those Who Have Had A Religious Wedding.The Adherence To Very Traditional Gender Roles, Are Quite Practiced By Dominicans. Men And Boys Are Expected To Show Machismo Or Maleness, And Putting Ones Dignity And Honor Above Collective And Abstract Ideologies Or Personalismo. It Is Socially Acceptable For A Man To Have Several Relationships With Women At The Same Time And There Is No Disgrace With A Man, Who Fathers Many Children From Different Women And Extramarital Relationships For As Long As He Takes The Role As Head Of The Family And Supports All His Children.Women On The Other Hand, Are Expected To Stay At Home And Be Submissive. But A Lot Of Women Work Outside Home To Earn Money, As Women Are Becoming More And More Important In The Workforce And Politics. This Applies For All Classes, But Particularly For The More Unfortunate Families, Where Men Are Oftentimes Not Present In The Home Altogether. Households Like This Are Where Mothers And Grandmothers Assume Not Only Their Traditional Roles But Also The Role Of A Wage Earner.
