This dissertation research award will purchase a portable micro- computer, printer, and supplies to aid the research of an anthropology graduate student in Jamaica. The student's research is also supported by a Wenner-Gren and a Fulbright award. The project is to analyze the interactions between men and women in a relatively new "Family Court" run by the Jamaican government to assure child support. Using participant observation, analysis of court records and detailed case studies, interviews and cognitive tests, and birth registration data, the student will analyze how this recent legal structure is affecting gender relations. The project will study how the definition of "father" is changing in response to these new laws, and whether the changing legal definition of out-of-wedlock infants has affected the felt responsibilities of men and women towards marriage and children. The increase in children born out of wedlock is dramatic in many countries in the world. Increased understanding of how legal structures affect young people's values and behavior will help planners cope with these changing social patterns.
