Families of Another World
Cuba and Canada are similar but also different when comparing the two countries. Cuba is more family orientated than the average Canadian family; they mostly live all together in a house that has apartments that split the house or they live in the same neighborhood. Cubans are accustomed to being in close quarters both at home and in public; the culture does not value privacy and private space as highly as the Canadian culture. They don’t believe in having distant between them while the Canadian family most likely has the distant of a town or province between them. The closeness is necessary in Cuba because of the lack of housing. Since Cuban families are always together they are not defensive even of bodily space: physical affection is commonly displayed, and physical contact among strangers is not problematic. Being in constant relation with others, socializing in groups, and sharing both social space and body space are the norm to them while Canadian families believe in personal space; they don’t always want to be around others, they joy alone time just as much as they like being with their family. In Cuba, women economically productive activity is thought to serve the country as a whole, and in fact women who choose not to work outside the home are sometimes subjects of censure failing but men continue to expect women to perform household work and maintain child-rearing responsibilities even if they have full-time careers outside the home and participate in activities. In Canada, men and women take equal amounts of household work and they share responsibilities of the children. In Cuba all children receive a primary education. Youths who are preparing for college and pass the entrance examinations attend an academically-oriented school. Those who are best suited for agricultural or industrial careers attend technical schools. Higher education is fully funded by the socialist government, and the state pays university and technical students a monthly stipend for food and lodging. Higher education is so