Hispanic Family Hierarchy

Hispanic people are very family-oriented. They believed in strong family structures historically and many of them still live with their families in one single house by following the system of joint families.  The needs of families in the Hispanic community are more important than individual needs and this is what binds them all together.  Identify of individuals is strongly affected by his/her relationship with the family members.

Every member of the family has a role to play and people pay importance to traditional values and family teachings. Overall, there is a hierarchical structure that is formed and this structure makes way for distribution of responsibilities and powers. To understand the Hispanic family hierarchy better, you can go through the following given information.

Hispanic family hierarchyFather

At the top of the hierarchical racial pyramid in a Hispanic family is the father.  He occupies a position of authority and respect and takes most of the decisions for the family.  The traditional view of manhood is strongly influenced by Machismo.  There is a belief among Hispanic families that men should be strong and honorable.  They should protect and provide for their families.

Mother

Next in the line of hierarchy of a Hispanic family comes the mother. Mothers are natural caregivers and may often play the role of house-wives. Motherhood is highly valued and mothers are responsible for providing care to their children and the elder family members as well.  While some may prefer to work outside their homes as well, most of them remain at home as well. Mothers take important decisions regarding day to day household chores and kitchen matters.

Children

In Hispanic families, children are raised with certain expectations. Children must be responsible and cooperative and parents must teach them to not talk with much authority.  They must also exhibit emotional restrain. Children do not take much part in the decision making process but have a role to play in day to day matters like helping mothers in the kitchen, helping fathers with certain tasks etc.

Extended Family

Familism is a central concept in the Hispanic community and goes beyond the nuclear family.  The extended families include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins etc.  There are three major aspects of an extended family such as family obligations, emotional closeness and support, as well as family have referent. Families are responsible for taking care of their elderly parents and at times of festivals etc., families is expected to get together.

This is the structure of Hispanic Family Hierarchy. Also, know about Hispanic Racial Hierarchy.