Extended family systems Children in Developing Countries Renata

Extended family systems Children in Developing Countries Renata Serra – March 8 th 2007

Extended family systems l Children are valued in African societies for, among others: ¡ Lineage continuation ¡ Performing burial ceremonies ¡ Adding to number and strength of a lineage l “Children are not just of their parents” l Extended families are main units of residence, production, consumption ¡ Nuclear families are pretty meaningless

The strains Reliance on extended families is often assumed certain and sure l HIV/AIDS crisis and socio-economic crisis are straining the capacity of the extended family systems l ¡ l See examples from Guest’s book Two questions: ¡ ¡ Are relatives’ children treated less well than own children, under these added strains? If EF are failing, how could outsiders help?

The evidence l The question is not so much whether relatives’ children are treated less well l The main issue is who the care-takers are ¡ Grandparents are increasingly over-represented (40% on average, but more in rural areas) l Pros and cons of being taken care by grandmothers rather than by aunts ¡ Relatives of lower socio-economic status are more often in charge

Support to care-takers l Caretakers need to be supported not just materially but also emotionally and psychologically ¡ Mrs Banda (Guest Ch. 1) finds comfort in meeting with older people with the same problems in her church What are the best forms of support for grandparents? l What are the best forms of support for caretakers of the parental generation (like aunts and uncles)? l ¡ See Guests’ book examples