Measuring Kinship Support for Children of Single Mothers in Nairobi, Kenya

A strikingly large number of African children - up to 60% in some countries - do not co-reside with biological fathers. Most of these children are raised by single mothers, defined as women who are not married, cohabiting or in a socially recognized relationship with the biological or non-biological father of their children. The welfare of these children, however, has generated little concern as studies tend to emphasize the critical compensating role of extended kin in child rearing throughout Africa. It is often assumed that a large and supportive kin network will buffer against any negative effects of single motherhood on children's well-being. However, this assumption may be false. A recent study found that children of single mothers were significantly more likely to die before the age of five than children of mothers in union in 11 countries in Africa. Limited or inadequate support from extended kin may help explain these outcomes, but currently no data exists to rigorously investigate such a claim. In this pilot study, we have developed and administered an innovative survey instrument - Kinship Support Tree - designed to capture time- and space- varying measures of kinship support for single mothers and their young children in an urban context in Kenya characterized by low-income and high circular migration.