Kin and Child Survival in Rural Malawi

@article{Sear2008KinAC,
  title={Kin and Child Survival in Rural Malawi},
  author={Rebecca Sear},
  journal={Human Nature},
  year={2008},
  volume={19},
  pages={277-293}
}
  • R. Sear
  • Published 15 July 2008
  • Sociology
  • Human Nature
This paper investigates the impact of kin on child survival in a matrilineal society in Malawi. Women usually live in close proximity to their matrilineal kin in this agricultural community, allowing opportunities for helping behavior between matrilineal relatives. However, there is little evidence that matrilineal kin are beneficial to children. On the contrary, child mortality rates appear to be higher in the presence of maternal grandmothers and maternal aunts. These effects are modified by… 
View on Springer
eprints.lse.ac.uk
99 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
10
Background Citations
52
Methods Citations
6
Results Citations
3

99 Citations

Kin influences on fertility in Thailand: Effects and mechanisms
Who keeps children alive? A review of the effects of kin on child survival
Allomaternal Investments and Child Outcomes in the United Kingdom
TLDR
The findings suggest that allomothers do indeed impact child development in the UK, however, the important alloothers seem to be those within the nuclear household, in contrast with many high-fertility, high mortality populations where grandmothers are often the most important alloms regarding child survival, and fathers less so.
When the mother-in-law is just as good—Differential mortality of reproductive females by family network composition
TLDR
It is found that women of reproductive age who had a living mother had a reduced mortality risk, and this finding is interpreted as a consequence of augmented consanguineous marriages among individuals of higher social strata.
Age at first reproduction and economic change in the context of differing kinship ecologies
  • D. Leonetti, D. C. Nath
  • Sociology
    American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
  • 2009
TLDR
In both groups residing in favorable reproductive locations is associated with a faster pace of fertility among women, as well as lower offspring mortality among Khasi, to compensate for a later start.
How much does family matter? Cooperative breeding and the demographic transition.
TLDR
Overall this survey suggests that women are influenced by, and reliant on, their kin during their reproductive lives, so that changing patterns of association with kin may have a causal role to play in the demographic transition.
The effects of residential ecology on patterns of child work and mother's reproductive success among Indo-Fijians
Income Shocks and Partnership Formation: Evidence from Malawi.
TLDR
It is shown that marrying off daughters is, in fact, a coping mechanism used by patrilineal households after experiencing a shock and that these effects are potentially strongest for young women who are already out of school.
Reproductive competition between females in the matrilineal Mosuo of southwestern China
TLDR
This work uses a ‘tug-of-war’ model of reproductive skew generated by incomplete control, to model the patterns of effort put into competition between sisters and cousins, and finds that female work on the farm is not equal.
How Grandparents Matter
TLDR
It is shown that childcare support from grandparents increases the probability that parents have additional children in the next 8 to 10 years and is an important factor in people’s fertility decisions, along with the availability of formal childcare.
...
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 67 REFERENCES
Helpful grandmothers in rural Ethiopia: A study of the effect of kin on child survival and growth
PATTERNS OF CHILD FOSTERAGE IN RURAL NORTHERN THAILAND
  • L. Taylor
  • Psychology
    Journal of Biosocial Science
  • 2004
TLDR
An ordered decision-making pathway for foster parent selection is proposed, taking into consideration the key factors of the circumstances driving the fostering decision, the Gender of the child, the gender of the key decision- making parent, and the degree of marital and population fluidity in the village.
Who keeps children alive? A review of the effects of kin on child survival
Does Investment in the Sexes Differ When Fathers Are Absent?
TLDR
Examination of child survival and growth in a patrilineal Ethiopian community as a function of father absence and sex finds father absence doubles a son’s risk of dying in infancy but has a positive influence on the well-being of female members of the household, improving daughter survival, growth, and maternal nutritional status.
Maternal grandmothers improve nutritional status and survival of children in rural Gambia
TLDR
It is found that the only kin to improve the nutritional status of children significantly (apart from mothers) are maternal grandmothers, and that this is reflected in higher survival probabilities for children with living mothers and women, and in the presence of non–reproductive grandmothers.
DO WOMEN REALLY NEED MARITAL PARTNERS FOR SUPPORT OF THEIR REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS? THE CASE OF THE MATRILINEAL KHASI OF N. E. INDIA
THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON INFANT MORTALITY IN A REMOTE AREA OF BANGLADESH
TLDR
The high mortality of infants born before and after mothers were divorced in Teknaf may reflect how abusive marriage and divorce increase the vulnerability of women and children in rural Bangladesh.
Hamilton's rule and kin competition: the Kipsigis case ☆
Evolutionary Theory, Kinship, and Childbirth in Cross-Cultural Perspective
The authors combine evolutionary theory with the anthropological study of kinship to account for cross-cultural diversity in birth-related investments by kin. Four hypotheses are formulated using…
Matriliny patriliny and wealth flow variations in rural Malawi.
Literature on African kinship political economies suggest that under matriliny wealth flow would be biased towards a matrilineal line in that children would engage in transfers with their maternal…
...
...