Abstract
The present research examined the consequences of father abandonment for the reproductive strategies of girls from the Caribbean island of Curacao. The sample consisted of 189 girls with an average age of 19.11 (SD = 2.97). Respondents were categorized in three groups, namely: ‘early father absence’ (abandoned between 0–5 years of age), ‘late father absence’ (abandoned between 6–13 years of age) and ‘father presence’ (father present during childhood). The results showed that compared to ‘late father absence’ girls and ‘father presence’ girls, ‘early father absence’ girls initiated sexual intercourse at a significant younger age. Moreover, they were less interested in getting married and in having grandchildren. These differences could not be explained by differences in educational level of the participants or occupational level of the father and the mother. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the age of menarche, the total number of sexual partners and the desire to have chil...
Highlights
In Curaçao, an island in the Southern Caribbean, the rate of teenage pregnancy is relatively high
The present results demonstrated in a Caribbean sample from Curaçao that growing up without a father may have important consequences for the reproductive strategy of girls
Girls who were abandoned by their father before the age of five, initiated sexual intercourse at a significantly younger age than girls who were abandoned by their father between the age of six and thirteen and girls who grew up with their father
Summary
In Curaçao, an island in the Southern Caribbean, the rate of teenage pregnancy is relatively high. In 2010, 7.3% of women under the age of 20 became pregnant (Samenwerkende Fondsen, Aruba en Nederlandse Antillen, 2010). This figure is comparable to other Caribbean countries such as Aruba and Bonaire, but considerably higher than in countries such as the Netherlands, where the rate of teenage pregnancies is 0.34% (Central Bureau of Statistics the Netherlands, 2012) and the United States, where the rate is 3.4% (Hamilton & Ventura, 2012). A great majority of single mothers accept that the fathers play a marginal role in the upbringing of their children. Many single mothers even report that they are proud of being able to raise their children alone (Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijkrelaties, 2010). Approximately 50% of the female headed households live in poverty compared to two-earner households and are often not able to pay for the educational development of their children due to a lack of a second earner (Central Bureau of Statistics Curacao, 2011)
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