In the 1980s, there were continued signs of change in the orthodox norms and patterns of family life, resulting from the high rate of rural-to-urban migration, the growth of urban industrial centers, and accompanying socioeconomic developments. The decline of the patricentric extended-family structure was apparent in urban society, as increased geographic and social mobility weakened kinship ties and extended greater freedom to young people. Families at the bottom of the social ladder were adversely affected by geographic dislocation and were increasingly less cohesive. They continued to be characterized by a large number of consensual unions and mother-centered households.

Orthodox elements of trust and mutual dependence among relatives, no matter how distant the relationship, were still strong. The already large circle of kin relationships was extended through the institution of compadrazgo, a complex form of ritual kinship. Ties with relatives and compadres (godparents) continued to be valuable in political and business activities and provided the low-status person with a wide circle of mutual assistance.

Moreover, regardless of the increasing acceptability of civil weddings, most middle-class and upper-class families still tried to offer their children with the most elaborate church wedding they could afford. In the lower class, consensual union, in which both the religious and the civil marriage ceremonies are foregone, was common. In rural communities with orthodox lower-class standards, formal marriage was regarded as neither valuable nor essential. contempt the efforts of the church to promote legal marriage within the lower class, people in this group generally regarded Catholic marriage as a heavy social and economic burden. At the same time, Catholic marriage was recognized as the ideal and the preferred legal, social, and sexual basis of the family. Although other kinds of union were more prevalent within the lower class, Catholic marriage often confamous superior social status and prestige. In contemplating religious marriage, both men and women might consider carefully the heavy costs involved against the prestige that would be gained.