Family Life Haitians place great importance on family life. In rural areas, the extended family has traditionally been the social unit. Men and women play complementary roles, generally sharing household and financial responsibilties.
Women assist in farmwork, performing such tasks as weeding and harvesting.
At home, women are generally responsible for childcare and the daily household tasks, while men do heavy chores, such as gathering firewood. In general, Haitian women have been more active in the labor force than women in other Latin American countries, perhaps because the rewards for their labor are greater. Income earned from agricultural production belongs to both husband and wife, but income earned from nonfarm business activities does not have to be shared with the husband, and, as a result, many women are economically independent. The most common form of marriage among the lower classes is known as plasaj , a kind of common-law marriage. Although the government does not recognize plasaj as legitimate, this relationship is considered normal and proper among the poor.