Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya.

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. Whil...

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Publicado en:Journal of Marriage & Family Vol. 88; no. 3; pp. 777 - 791
Autores principales: Stoebenau, Kirsten, Viswasam, Nikita, Sidze, Estelle M., Madhavan, Sangeetha
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Jun2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      jtl: Journal of Marriage & Family
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      dt: Jun2026
      vid: 88
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
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        193710957
        10.1111/jomf.70039
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        atl: Integrating the In‐Laws: Class and Kin Support Within Marriage in Urban Kenya.
      aug:
        au:
          Stoebenau, Kirsten
          Viswasam, Nikita
          Sidze, Estelle M.
          Madhavan, Sangeetha
        affil:
          Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland,, USA
          Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland,, USA
          African Population Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
          Department of African American & Africana Studies and Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park Maryland,, USA
      su:
        Nairobi (Kenya)
        Affinal relatives
        Parents-in-law
        Kinship
        Family relations
        Social classes
        Income
        Social stratification
      sug:
        subj:
          Affinal relatives
          Parents-in-law
          Kinship
          Family relations
          Social classes
          Income
          Social stratification
          Nairobi (Kenya)
      keyword:
        gender
        kin support
        marital relations
        qualitative methodology
        social class
        gender
        kin support
        marital relations
        qualitative methodology
        social class
      ab: 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.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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