Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is located with Haiti on Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Caribbean, and has a population of 9.76 million and an annual growth of 1.5 percent. Almost half of the population live in rural areas and many are landholders; however, increasing shifts in migration because of the development of tourism and industrial free-trade zones patterns has resulted in many moving to urban areas. There are 3.896 million people working mainly in agriculture (17 percent), industry (24.3 percent), and service (58.7 percent). The unemployment rate is 17 percent.

The lives of women are affected by social, cultural, and political traditions, and sex roles are clearly defined, promoting patriarchy at work and matriarchy in the home. Fathers are the head of families and women ...