Cultural Considerations / Family

A common thread in the cultures of various Hispanic communities is the way they feel about family:

• Family is of utmost importance.
  
• Family is tightly knit, and ties are strong.
  
• Families are valued over individual or community needs.
  
• Family members are expected to help other family members who may need help—those with poor health, financial struggles, unemployment, and the like.
  
• “Family” often includes extended families, whose members may live nearby and provide mutual support. A particularly close friend is called a comadre (“co-mother”) or compadre (“co-father”). These close friends are frequently the sponsors for children’s religious rites—baptisms, Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
  
• Individuals may hesitate to discuss family problems with outsiders for fear of seeming disloyal.
  
• In many families, the oldest male holds the greatest power and is expected to provide for and run the family. However, in reality, the oldest female often has great influence.
  
• While women may work, they are considered responsible for the home—and for raising the children.
  
• Publicly, women are expected to show respect for their husbands and submit to them.
  
• Children are taught to be honorable, well-mannered, and respectful of authority and the elderly.
  
• In many families, speaking Spanish within the family is important.

How You Can Respond:

Your written communications can…

• Emphasize the importance of family.
• Explain how child support can help and strengthen the family.
  
• Suggest including family members in the decision to seek child support.

In your one-on-one interactions, remember that family members may be helpful in persuading a parent to seek—or pay—child support.