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Childcare in transition: evidence that patterns of childcare differ by degree of market integration in north-western Tanzania

Anushé Hassan, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
David Lawson, University of California, Santa Barbara
Susan Schaffnit, PSU
Mark Urassa, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza
Rebecca Sear, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

Women around the world receive help with childrearing, much of which would have come from kin throughout most of human history. Market integration is known to be associated with less kin-dense social networks and thus is expected to transform who cares for children. Yet, few empirical studies have quantified the role of market integration in childcare patterns. We test the hypothesis that higher levels of market integration are associated with (i) lower probability of receiving support from kin; and (ii) higher probability of receiving support from non-kin. Using a survey of 808 children under 5-years from Mwanza, Tanzania, we test for differences in childcare arrangements between a town and village. We consider two types of care, low-intensity and high-intensity, from fathers, siblings, maternal and paternal grandparents, maternal and paternal aunts/uncles and distant/non-kin. In the town, siblings and paternal kin have lower odds, and distant/non-kin higher odds, of providing care. Care from maternal kin is not associated with market integration. Market integration appears to disrupt paternal kin-orientated childcare arrangements, yet does not impact care from maternal kin, who may overcome greater physical distances to maintain contact. Distant/non-kin appear to substitute for the reduced support from kin in the town.

Keywords: Family demography, Urbanization and urban populations, Children and youth

See paper.

  Presented in Session 162. Child Care Arrangements: Patterns, Trends and Effects