Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya.
Saved in:
| Title: | Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Stoebenau, Kirsten1 (AUTHOR) kstoeben@umd.edu, Viswasam, Nikita2 (AUTHOR), Sidze, Estelle M.3 (AUTHOR), Madhavan, Sangeetha4 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Marriage & Family. Jun2026, Vol. 88 Issue 3, p777-790. 14p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Family relations, Affinal relatives, Parents-in-law, Kinship, Social classes, Income, Social stratification |
| Geographic Terms: | Nairobi (Kenya) |
| Abstract: | Objective: This study compares affinal kin relationships in low‐income and higher‐income families in Nairobi, Kenya. Background: In most studies of kinship structure and relationships in sub‐Saharan Africa, culture serves as the basis upon which norms and expectations of kin are differentiated. While important, within the context of increasing economic inequality, it may be that marriage and kinship expectations and practices are also increasingly differentiated by social class, reflecting increasing social stratification in family formation and organization. Method: Narrative and thematic analysis were used on qualitative data from 46 in‐depth interviews with 28 low‐income, and 18 middle‐ and high‐income women and men, married or living with a partner, to understand class‐based differences in kin integration by gender. Results: Across class, among women, the levels of affinal kin integration varied; among men, those in the low‐income category described very limited affinal‐kin integration due to economic constraints, whereas their higher‐income peers were able to maintain close ties with affinal kin mainly attributable to having advanced in the union formalization process. At the same time, however, higher‐income participants—both men and women—expressed a desire for greater couple‐level autonomy in decision‐making. Conclusion: There are emerging class‐based differences in the structure and value of support from and relationships with affinal kin, which, in turn hold important implications for the reproduction of social stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Marriage & Family is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193710957 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stoebenau%2C+Kirsten%22">Stoebenau, Kirsten</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> kstoeben@umd.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Viswasam%2C+Nikita%22">Viswasam, Nikita</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sidze%2C+Estelle+M%2E%22">Sidze, Estelle M.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Madhavan%2C+Sangeetha%22">Madhavan, Sangeetha</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Marriage+%26+Family%22">Journal of Marriage & Family</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 88 Issue 3, p777-790. 14p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+relations%22">Family relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affinal+relatives%22">Affinal relatives</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parents-in-law%22">Parents-in-law</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kinship%22">Kinship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+classes%22">Social classes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Income%22">Income</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+stratification%22">Social stratification</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nairobi+%28Kenya%29%22">Nairobi (Kenya)</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Objective: This study compares affinal kin relationships in low‐income and higher‐income families in Nairobi, Kenya. Background: In most studies of kinship structure and relationships in sub‐Saharan Africa, culture serves as the basis upon which norms and expectations of kin are differentiated. While important, within the context of increasing economic inequality, it may be that marriage and kinship expectations and practices are also increasingly differentiated by social class, reflecting increasing social stratification in family formation and organization. Method: Narrative and thematic analysis were used on qualitative data from 46 in‐depth interviews with 28 low‐income, and 18 middle‐ and high‐income women and men, married or living with a partner, to understand class‐based differences in kin integration by gender. Results: Across class, among women, the levels of affinal kin integration varied; among men, those in the low‐income category described very limited affinal‐kin integration due to economic constraints, whereas their higher‐income peers were able to maintain close ties with affinal kin mainly attributable to having advanced in the union formalization process. At the same time, however, higher‐income participants—both men and women—expressed a desire for greater couple‐level autonomy in decision‐making. Conclusion: There are emerging class‐based differences in the structure and value of support from and relationships with affinal kin, which, in turn hold important implications for the reproduction of social stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Marriage & Family is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193710957 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/jomf.70039 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 777 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Family relations Type: general – SubjectFull: Affinal relatives Type: general – SubjectFull: Parents-in-law Type: general – SubjectFull: Kinship Type: general – SubjectFull: Social classes Type: general – SubjectFull: Income Type: general – SubjectFull: Social stratification Type: general – SubjectFull: Nairobi (Kenya) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Stoebenau, Kirsten – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Viswasam, Nikita – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sidze, Estelle M. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Madhavan, Sangeetha IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00222445 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 88 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Marriage & Family Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
