Factors influencing union formation in Nairobi, Kenya

Maternal Migration and Child Fostering Arrangements in Nairobi's Slums

Child fostering-children living apart from their biological mothers-is an established strategy to support children and families throughout Africa. Little is known about how fostering decisions might be influenced by maternal migration and place of residence when women move to urban slums, which are home to a sizable proportion of Africa's urban population. Using a mixed-methods approach, we triangulate in-depth interviews with birth histories collected in two slum settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, to explore the interconnections between maternal migration experience, slum residence, and child fostering decisions. Our quantitative results reveal substantial fostering of children among women in slum contexts, with fostering being significantly higher among children of migrant women, particularly those who have recently arrived. Qualitative findings suggest that migration acts as an important impetus to foster, as do transitions in women's romantic relationships, economic uncertainty, poor slum conditions, and desires to send children to rural areas for schooling. This novel finding on children's schooling is supported in quantitative analyses, which show that older school-age children are more likely than younger children to be fostered. This study highlights the central roles of maternal migration, economic and social precariousness, and place of residence in determining the fostering of children among mothers living in informal settlements.

MEASURING UNION FORMALIZATION FOR A NEW GENERATION OF FAMILY DEMOGRAPHY: A CASE STUDY FROM URBAN KENYA

Despite repeated calls for improved measures of marriage as a process in sub‐Saharan Africa, large‐scale surveys continue to rely on static marital status. As a result, there is an incomplete understanding of the effects of marriage on outcomes of interest. We use qualitative and survey data from a longitudinal study of 1,203 young mothers residing in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya, to (1) describe the development of an innovative measure of union formalization (UF) defined as the steps through which a union attains social legitimacy; (2) compare UF with a conventional current marital status measure; (3) examine the distribution of UF steps across union history; and (4) examine the sequence and timing of pregnancy and childbearing within the UF process. We find UF steps indicative of both increasing individualization of marriage and the ongoing importance of kin involvement hold meaning. We demonstrate extensive heterogeneity in the sequence and extent of UF steps completed and interrogate the classification of premarital childbearing using sequence analysis. We argue that measuring UF is feasible and necessary for the next generation of family demography in Africa; UF measures facilitate understanding the linkages among family dynamics, health, and social stratification within the context of ongoing socioeconomic change.

Making Sense of Marriage: Gender and the Transition to Adulthood in Nairobi, Kenya

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine how young people in Nairobi, Kenya, are making sense of marriage, both in terms of their own lives and its social significance.

BACKGROUND

In many sub-Saharan African communities, marriage has been a fundamental marker of the transition to adulthood. However, union formation is changing, particularly in urban areas-partnering is occurring later and nonmarital cohabitation is increasingly common with the pathways to union formation differing by gender. Young people's perspectives on marriage are valuable for a deeper understanding of these trends.

METHOD

A total of 74 in-depth interviews with youth living in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, were qualitatively analyzed with particular attention to personal and normative understandings of marriage along with how they vary by gender.

RESULTS

Marriage emerged as an important part of most respondents' life projects, whether or not they considered it key to socially recognized adulthood. Attitudes differed by gender, with young women's greater ambivalence and aversion toward marriage, particularly early marriage, contrasting with young men's frustrated desire for marriage amidst economic constraints. Young men's main worry about marriage was not being able to support a family, whereas young women were often concerned that marrying would thwart their aspirations regarding education and work.

CONCLUSION

Marriage continues to be a significant social marker of adulthood despite a shifting demographic reality. Differences in young people's attitudes are related to gendered concerns around marriage and economic independence.

Timing and sequencing of events marking the transition to adulthood in two informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Young people living in poor urban informal settlements face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood. This exploratory paper uses retrospective information from the baseline survey of a 3-year prospective study to examine the timing and sequencing of four key markers (first sex, marriage, birth, and independent housing) of the transition to adulthood among 3,944 adolescents in two informal settlements in Nairobi city, Kenya. Event history analysis techniques are employed to examine the timing of the events. Results indicate that there is no significant gender difference with regard to first sexual debut among adolescents. For many boys and girls, the first sexual experience occurs outside of marriage or other union. For males, the sequencing of entry begins with entry into first sex, followed by independent housing. Conversely, for females, the sequencing begins with first sex and then parenthood. Apart from sexual debut, the patterns of entry into union and parenthood do not differ much from what was observed for Nairobi as a whole. The space constraints that typify the two slums may have influenced the pattern of leaving home observed. We discuss these and other findings in light of their implications for young people's health and well-being in resource-poor settings in urban areas.