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Haiti has a Creole culture, which is a mix of French and
African influences. Almost all Haitians (95%) are descended from the 480,000
African slaves who were brought by French colonists to work on sugar cane
plantations in the 17th and 18th centuries. The other 5% are mostly mulattos.
Mulattos were originally the children of French colonists and African slaves.
The mulattos became the ruling class after independence. Their power has been
weakened over the last 50 years, largely because of the emergence of a black
middle-class. |
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Until the early part of this century, rural Haitians lived
in extended families. The family was known as lakou, a word that referred
not only to family members, but also to the cluster of houses in which they lived.
Members of the lakou worked together and supported each other. Today, most
Haitian families consist of parents and children only. A Haitian farmer still
relies on the immediate family for support, but the shared labour and social
security of the extended family or lakou has lessened. |
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Did you know?
Haiti is a densely populated country, with an average of more than 250 people per
square kilometre. About three-quarters of the people live in rural areas. City
life is limited to the capital city (Port-au-Prince) and five or six large towns.
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In rural areas, men are responsible for heavy farming work and
women are responsible for performing household tasks and gathering fruits and
vegetables to sell at local markets. Haitian women take part in the labour force
much more than women in countries nearby.
Among the poor, the most common relationship between men and
women who live together is known as plasaj. In a plasaj, the man and
the woman make an agreement about their finances and the sharing of work. This
arrangement is not recognized as a legal marriage by the government. |
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In the past, family life for the rich was very different from
that of the poor. Civil and religious marriages were the norm. Well-to-do families
were often related to each other through marriage. Divorce was rare. Wives did not
work outside the home and housework was done by servants.
Marital relationships for this group have changed. Divorce
is becoming increasingly acceptable. Women have been entering the labour force in
increasing numbers since the 1970s. The legal rights of married women, including
property rights, were expanded in the 1980s. |
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Did you know?
Haiti has a small population of Middle Eastern origin, the descendants of
traders from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine who settled in Haiti and other
Caribbean nations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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