African Women 
bibliographic database
| Previous page | New search |
The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here
 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
 WorldCat |
| Title: | Matriliny, Patriliny, and Wealth Flow Variations in Rural Malawi |
| Authors: | Mtika, Mike Mathambo Doctor, Henry Victor |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Periodical: | African Sociological Review |
| Volume: | 6 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Pages: | 71-97 |
| Language: | English |
| Notes: | biblio. refs. |
| Geographic terms: | Malawi Central Africa |
| Subjects: | household budget family patriarchy matriarchy Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Cultural Roles Sex Roles sociology kinship Matrilineal kinship Inheritance Wealth distribution |
| External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/24487327 |
| Abstract: | Literature on African kinship political economies suggests that under matriliny, wealth flow would be biased towards a matrilineal line in that children would engage in transfers with their maternal more than their paternal relatives. Under patriliny, the reverse would be the case. The authors explore these propositions using data from a sample survey of 1257 respondents in rural Malawi, 29 percent of whom were from a predominantly matrilineal ethnic group (the Yao), 36 percent from an ethnic group that is transforming from matrilineal to patrilineal practices (the Chewa), and 35 percent from a patrilineal ethnic group (the Tumbuka).These data were complemented by qualitative interviews of 18 respondents from the matrilineal ethnic group, 20 from the transforming group, and 18 from the patrilineal group. Results reveal little evidence to support the propositions. The authors think that the increasing privatization of production and consumption, that has over the years penetrated rural Malawi, has led to some individualistic tendencies among rural Malawians and weakened both matrilineal and patrilineal influence on people's wealth transfer behaviour. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract] |
