Changing Family Life in East Africa

Modern socioeconomic developments have diminished the traditional role and power of women in East Africa. Drawing on nearly two decades of research based on their method of "interactive ethnography," the authors show how this change in status has brought about strains in family life and decreased the value of children, resulting in more frequent occurrences of child abuse and neglect.

Surveys, interviews, and psychological assessments conducted by the authors during repeated visits to Kenya and Uganda provide evidence that contemporary values have eroded the traditional support networks of extended family and community. Enriching the data are personal observations of East Africans, who talk here about issues of importance in their family lives such as polygyny, premarital pregnancy, female powerlessness, and barmaiding as a stigmatized occupation. Additional information is drawn from newspaper stories and popular literature.