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Under the influence of the Spanish culture, Colombia family life transformed greatly. With the increasing rural-to-urban migration, socio-economic development and the growth in the urban industrial centers, the family in Colombia changed thoroughly.
The families in Colombia form the unit of the Colombian society. The family life at Colombia contains the basic elements of trust and mutual dependency among the different members of the society. The Colombians have large circle of relatives, who are extended through 'compadrazgo'. Relationships are generally strong in the family life of Colombia.
Family at Colombia is generally patriarchal and patrilineal. Although the society of Colombia is dominated by the men folks, the legal reforms launched in Colombia have ensured equal property and civil rights to women.
Among the lower classes in Colombia, the mother is normally the head of the family and the chief authority of the family lies with her. Except the lower classes, where the mother of the family assumes the role of the head of the family, all other classes proclaim the father as the head of a Colombia family.
In the upper and the middle classes, men have always been the head of the family and it becomes their duty to look into the well-being of the different members of the society. Traditionally, women belonging to the upper classes are not allowed to work, except for some voluntary services.
But, the plight of the women of the lower classes is little better than the upper class women. The economic need and family instability demands the women of the lower classes to contribute towards the subsistence of her family. The economic independence of the lower class women have made her at par with the men of the same class.
Talking about the family at Colombia, it can be said that the Roman Catholic Church exerted greater impact on the families of Colombia. This religious institution marked all the major events in the lives of the people of Colombia. It is noteworthy that regardless of the growing trend of civil marriages, most of the higher classes in Colombia still prefer the Church weddings.
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