AAS 17 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Settler Colonialism, Female Genital Mutilation, Bride Price
30 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
1/31/18
Is it better or worse for women if rates of marriage decline?
• What happens to women if marriage declines depends on whether they are economically self-
sufficient or are economically dependent.
• Birth rates may decline
o Some places where birth rate remains the same. Women are still giving birth even when
not getting married.
• Gender roles may change
Kenya
• East African
First Generation of Kenyan Women
• Born in 1930s
• Grew up in agrarian setting.
o Most work done by hand.
o Lots of land
• All had experienced female circumcision.
• All women were married.
• Most marriages arranged by parents.
o Women did not select their own marriage partners.
• Many marriages were polygynous.
• Bridewealth paid for all marriages.
o Reflect traditions seen in other places in Africa.
• Historically in Africa, the concept of an adult unmarried woman did not exist.
o All adult women married, even if ugly, etc.
o Every woman was attached.
o The means to wealth was through children b/c all work done by hand and lots of land.
• Historically in Africa, there were no prostitutes.
o Adult women who were unattached did not exist.
• Polygynous marriages were to the advantage of women as well.
o Everything had to be done by hand. It is very time consuming.
o Lots of chores to be done, so wives did not mind if their husbands had two or three
other wives.
o All wives help e/o do the work.
Third Generation of Kenyan Women
• Born in 1970s
• All live in urban (non-farming) areas
• 25% experienced female circumcision
• 37% were married
o Gone from a trend of 100% being married.
o Marriages where partners select themselves. Maybe not all love marriages.
• 37% were unmarried mothers
o Single mothers.
o Didn’t occur in the past b/c someone wanted to marry you and claim the child.
• Not arranged marriages
o Still places on the African continent that arranged marriages exist, but it is very rare.
• No bridewealth paid in most marriages.
• High levels of prostitution among poor unmarried single mothers.
o Did not exist historically has come into existence.
o Historically all adult women were married.
• Men no longer have an incentive to marry.
o No longer in agrarian setting, so don’t need extra help to farm. Children not a big deal
anymore.
o Pressure to have children no longer high.
o Children can become a burden in an urban setting.
• Elementary education did not guarantee decent employment.
o Education usually beneficial to women, but elementary education does not make much
of a difference.
• Unmarried women did not ‘choose’ singleness.
Factors in New Marriage Trends
• Lower percentage of community involved in farming.
• Loss of farming land due to environmental factors, development, settler colonialism
o Settler Colonialism: Form of colonialism where you have settlers who came in and
occupied a significant percentage of good farming land. Regular people had almost no
access to farming land. The regular people’s interest in farming and marriage went
down.
• Increasing population density.
o Incentive to marriage and the types of marriage will flip.
• Insufficient economic opportunities for men and women that are not related to farming.
o Can’t get married if have no land to farm, no job, or living in the slums.
o Moving to cities, but no access to good paying jobs.
• Religious change
o People have been for Christians for a long time in Africa but still practice polygyny.
o Now that economic conditions are changing, say need to be monogamous b/c they’re
Christian.
Changes in East Africa
• Loss of land for farming, especially in Kenya
o Kenya experiences settler colonialism.
▪ Europeans, particularly the British, settled and occupied the prime farming land.
This had an immediate impact on the patterns of marriage.
• Decline of arranged marriage.
Document Summary
Women are still giving birth even when not getting married: gender roles may change. It is very time consuming: lots of chores to be done, so wives did not mind if their husbands had two or three other wives, all wives help e/o do the work. Third generation of kenyan women: born in 1970s, all live in urban (non-farming) areas, 25% experienced female circumcision, 37% were married, gone from a trend of 100% being married, marriages where partners select themselves. Loss of farming land due to environmental factors, development, settler colonialism: settler colonialism: form of colonialism where you have settlers who came in and occupied a significant percentage of good farming land. Regular people had almost no a(cid:272)(cid:272)ess to far(cid:373)i(cid:374)g la(cid:374)d. the regular people(cid:859)s i(cid:374)terest i(cid:374) far(cid:373)i(cid:374)g a(cid:374)d (cid:373)arriage (cid:449)e(cid:374)t down. Incentive to marriage and the types of marriage will flip.
