Hondurans tend to have large families and are
usually close to a their extended families, including parents,
grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. Elders, such
as grandparents, are respected and valued for their experience and
wisdom. Many people do not reach old age, however, because of
poverty-related illnesses and unhealthy living conditions in
Honduras. Men in Honduras are encouraged to be strong, unemotional and assertive. Traditionally, they earned money to support the family. Women were expected to be submissive and to stay home and raise children. These roles, however, are changing. Today, many women work outside the home. This often means that women have two jobs, one at home and one outside. Honduran men seldom help with domestic tasks. |
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Many children in Honduras grow
up in single-parent families headed by women. Although Honduran
society disapproves of a man who does not support his children,
some men leave their wives and do not accept responsibility for
raising their children. Honduras has one of the strongest women's movements in Central America. In the 1920s, women banded together to fight for the rights of workers in the banana and mining industries. Women finally gained the right to vote in 1954. Women's groups were also influential in the formation of the 1984 Family Code, which recognized the need to give rights to the children of single mothers. The Code made provisions for the employment of single mothers to support their children and also strengthened the law requiring fathers to take responsibility for their children. |
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Living in an extended family has helped many
Hondurans through difficult times. Since so many people are poor,
they share whatever strengths and resources they have. A grandmother
might prepare meals while the grandfather tends the vegetable garden.
The mother may go to the market to buy groceries, and both parents
may work for wages outside the home. While the parents are away from
home, an unemployed aunt or uncle may stay home to care for the
children, and the children can play with their cousins. Hondurans feel a sense of responsibility for family members who need help, and will often support them. If Hondurans are in a position to give someone a job, they will frequently hire a relative. |
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