essay
Gender and life-course strategies among the Gusii
african families and the crisis of social change • Westport, Conn. • Published In 1997 • Pages: 253-267
By: Håkansson, Thomas, LeVine, Robert Alan.
Abstract
In Gusii society not only is the road toward an ideal old age different for men and women, but the ways in which each gender achieves the ideal are mutually contradictory. As in many other African societies, the family provides security and comfort in old age. However, principles of separation and authority based on gender, generation, kinship, and affinity, which define relationships between Gusii family members, differentially affect the life course goals of men and women. These principles are expressed in the division of labor, resource control, and rules of avoidance (CHINSONI). The authors' objective in this article is to explore the material and social consequences for the elderly of the structurally opposed life-course strategies that result from intrafamily dynamics in 1940-1989 Gusii society (p. 3).
- HRAF PubDate
- 2000
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Eastern Africa
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 2005
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- 1940-1989
- Coverage Place
- Kisi District, western Kenya
- Notes
- N. Thomas Håkansson and Robert LeVine
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 266-267)
- LCCN
- 96045346
- LCSH
- Gusii (African people)