Fertility among farmers in Jean Rabel, Haiti, is high, perhaps the highest biologically possible given the prevalence of infectious diseases, low calorie diets, high rates of female malnutrition, high female labor demands, and high rates of male absenteeism. High fertility is reinforced by what is here called the pronatal socio-cultural fertility complex, which includes the aversion to the use of contraceptives and abortion, acceptable forms of conjugal union including consensual union and polygyny, patterns of sexual behavior and beliefs that promote high fertility. The reason offered for high fertility and the associated social behavior and institutions is the harsh natural environment and prevailing livelihood strategies, factors that make young children indispensable as providers of productive labor. The labor utility of children is reflected in mystical beliefs regarding conception and in childrearing practices and customs such as god parentage, the loaning of children, whipping, and ultimately, in conjugal union itself, the foundation of the household. The establishment of a household depends on a man building the house and planting gardens and there is a shortage of men with the means to accomplish these prerequisites. Thus, many women are faced with a choice of postponing childbearing, beginning to bear children without entering union, or entering into union with a man who already has a wife or wives; most single women opt for the later categories–single motherhood and union with ‘married’ men. The entire exploration of contemporary social patterns and demographic trends is put into perspective with a review of Jean Rabel history and an extensive look at the impact of development activities, particularly food-aid. The research was based on a series of surveys, including a 1,586 household systematic, random sample of all households in the commune of Jean Rabel (8.33%) of households in the commune chosen systematically, i.e. 1 in every 14 households).
Because the dissertation is broad and packed with a great deal of data on different topics, I provide a detailed table of contents below, so that researchers can quickly see if there might be anything in the document relevant to their interests. Note that in addition to the topics listed here, the document contains 38 charts and figures and 166 tables.
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION, LITERATURE REVIEW, AND METHODOLOGY
1 INTRODUCTION
- Jean Rabel
- The Socio-Cultural Fertility Complex in Jean Rabel
- History and Poverty
- Foreign Intervention Specialists
- The Argument
- Conclusion and Importance of the Research
- Notes
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
- High Fertility and Child Labor
- Fertility and Family Patterns
- Fertility and Family Patterns
3 Methods
- Participatory Research
- The Baseline Survey
- The Opinion Survey
- Household Labor Demands Survey
- Livestock and Garden Survey
- Polygyny Survey
- Clinics and NGO Reports
- Notes
SECTION 2: HAITI, JEAN RABEL, ITS HISTORY, AND CONTEMPORARY CONDITIONS
4 GETTING TO JEAN RABEL
- Introduction
- Getting to Jean Rabel
- Conclusion
- Notes
5 THE HISTORY OF JEAN RABEL
- Columbus and the Tainos
- The Buccaneers
- The French Colonial Era
- The Revolution
- Post Revolution
- The Post Occupation Period
- Conclusion: Contemporary Jean Rabel
- Notes
6 CONTEMPORARY JEAN RABEL PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, THE STATE, AND INTERVENTION
- Introduction: The Environment
- Deforestation and Erosion
- Droughts and Hurricanes
- Infrastructure and the State
- Intervention Agencies
- The Failure of Intervention
- Healthcare
- Healthcare and Contraceptives
- Contraceptives
- High Fertility and Population Growth
- Conclusion
- Notes
SECTION 3: THE PRONATAL SOCIO-CULTURAL FERTILITY COMPLEX
7 FERTILITY IN JEAN RABEL
- Introduction
- Factors that Dampen Fertility
- Jean Rabel Women vs Hutterite Women
- Pronatal Attitudes
- Contraceptives
- Abortion
- Pregnancy
- Conclusion
- Notes
8 SEX, CUSTOMS, BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS
- Introduction
- Girls Theater
- Virginity and Seduction
- Male Sexual Demeanor
- The Commercialization of Female Sexuality
- Conjugal Union and Sex
- Pregnancy, Paternity, Sex and Sorcery
- Perdisyon
- Conclusion
- Notes
SECTION 4: MODE OF PRODUCTION AND MEETING BASIC SUBSISTENCE NEEDS
9 HOUSES, TECHNOLOGIES, TRANSPORTATION, AND MARKETS
- Introduction
- Houses
- House Contents and the Yard
- Technologies and Transportation
- The All Purpose Yard and Useful Refuse
- Local Markets and Local Goods
- Conclusion:
- Notes
10 INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT
- Introduction
- Sources of Income
- Specialization and the Flourishing Subsistence Economy
- Male Employment Opportunities
- Female Employment Opportunities
- Men and Wage Migration
- Women and Marketing
- Conclusion
- Notes
11 FARMING AND HOUSEHOLD BASED PRODUCTION
- Introduction
- Agriculture
- Consumption vs The Market
- Fruit Trees
- Fishing
- Income from Farming
- Conclusion
- Notes
SECTION 5: THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY
12 LABOR DEMANDS
- Introduction
- The Organization of Labor and the Prominence of the Household
- Household Tasks
- Agriculture Labor Demands
- Animals
- Commercial Activity
- Hard Times
- Conclusion
- Notes
13 THE GENDER AND AGE-BASED DIVISIONS OF LABOR
- Introduction
- Gender-based Division of Labor
- Age-Based Division of Labor
- Relationship between Number of Children and Household Prosperity
- Conclusion
- Notes
14 WHAT PARENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE ECONOMIC UTILITY OF CHILDREN
- Introduction
- What Farmers Have to Say About Children
- Number of Children Desired
- Conclusions
- Notes
SECTION 6: RAISING CHILDREN IN JEAN RABEL: THE MODE OF REPRODUCTION
15 RAISING CHILDREN AND CONTROL OVER CHILD LABOR ACTIVITIES IN JEAN RABEL
- Introduction
- The Definition of a Child
- The Costs of Rearing Children
- Paternity
- The Working Child
- The Parental Contract
- Godparents and their Rights and Duties
- Friends, Relatives, and Restaveks
- Children, Work, and the Whip
- Conclusion
- Notes
16 CONJUGAL UNION AND THE FORMATION OF THE HOUSEHOLD
- Introduction
- Setting up a Household
- The Conjugal Contract
- Legal Marriage vs Plasaj
- House Building
- The Familial Contract
- Conclusion
- Notes
17 POLYGYNY, PROGENY, AND PRODUCTION
- Introduction: Polygyny
- The Economic Underpinnings of Polygyny
- Male Attitudes Toward Polygyny
- Female Attitudes Toward Polygyny
- Fighting for a Spouse
- The Econo-Demographic Underpinnings of Polygyny
- Parents, Permissiveness, and Polygyny
- Women, Children, and Fertility
- Conclusion
- Notes
Timothy_Schwartz_Dissertation
