Social:Kinkeeping

From HandWiki
Short description: Act of maintaining family ties

Kinkeeping is the act of maintaining and strengthening familial ties. It is a form of emotional labor done both out of a sense of obligation and because of emotional attachment.[1] Sociologist Carolyn Rosenthal defined the term in her 1985 article, "Kinkeeping in the Familial Division of Labor".[2][1]

Kinkeeping activities help extended family members of differing households stay in touch with one another and strengthen intergenerational bonds.[2] Methods may include telephoning, writing letters, visiting, sending gifts, acting as a caregiver for disabled or infirm family members, or providing economic aid.[3][1] Women are more likely to act as kinkeepers than men and often organize family events and reunions.[3] A 2006 survey of three different cohorts of Americans including those born before 1930, 1946–1964, and 1965–1976 found that women reported more contact with relatives than men in every cohort.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brown, Laura Hess; Derycke, Sara B. (2010). "The Kinkeeping Connection: Continuity, Crisis and Consensus". Journal of Intergenerational Relationships 8 (4): 338–353. doi:10.1080/15350770.2010.520616. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Shanahan, Michael J., eds (2006). Handbook of the Life Course, Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 156. ISBN 9780387324579. https://books.google.com/books?id=RMVM_8bjaWgC&pg=PA156. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Rosenthal, Carolyn J. (1985). "Kinkeeping in the Familial Division of Labor". Journal of Marriage and Family 47 (4): 965–974. doi:10.2307/352340. 
  4. Salari, S.; Zhang, W. (2006). "Kin keepers and good providers: Influence of gender socialization on well-being among USA birth cohorts". Aging & Mental Health 10 (5): 485–496. doi:10.1080/13607860600647975. PMID 16938684.