ABSTRACT
I N the literature on the West Indian family, writers have fre-quently mentioned the fact that the household is an important social unit and they have sometimes tried to indicate the nature
Having said this, they then proceed to base their discussion on the case of one family group only, though they do give some very rough figures on the approximate number of children per household in a sample of 106 households. The figures were compiled from the statements 'of third persons concerning their neighbours and friends' and consequently are not very reliable. The Herskovitses show considerable insight into the nature of the problem involved in studying the family system in this area, but their predominating interest in 'Mrican survivals' soon leads them away from it, and the greater part of the chapter on 'The Functioning Family' is taken up with a description of the customs surrounding childbirth, child rearing and courtship. The preliminary insight into the basic importance of the household as a social unit is never developed, and the formulations concerning the nature of the household group are never given any precision.
