Abstract
Maternal relatives are increasingly meeting practical and strategic needs of orphans previously provided by paternal kin. With regards to HIV affected homes, maternal kin are increasingly the first line of defence and primary caregivers for children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Kinship and being a relative of adults affected by HIV impacts the basic rights for orphans in a patriarchal, low-resource setting. We conducted this qualitative study among the Baganda of Central Uganda relying on 15 in-depth interviews, four focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. A content and thematic analytical approach guided data analysis. Ethical approval was obtained and informed consent provided. Participation in the study was voluntary.
In a patriarchal society, child orphans are identified through the paternal lineage even when they are increasingly cared, nurtured and socialized by maternal relatives. Orphans’ dependence on maternal relatives amidst patriarchal dictates creates an identity and relationship dilemma for them. Paternal relatives have become less accountable for their normative roles in care and support for orphans, increasing the vulnerability of orphans and shifting the burden of care to maternal relatives. Differences in care and support and everyday relationships between orphans, paternal and maternal relatives in HIV-affected families have profound implications for policy and programming for foster care. Dynamics that characterize care and support relationships of maternal and paternal relatives should inform decisions about what constitutes stable settings for social support and foster care. Given that maternal kin, especially grandparents, are at the center of raising their “children’s children,” interventions to support orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in high HIV-prevalence and low-income settings like Uganda should strengthen their focus on maternal kin. Intensified advocacy in partnership with relevant cultural structures is necessary to motivate paternal relatives to fulfil their child care obligations to OVCs.
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Notes
- 1.
Hofstede (1991: 51) observes that “collectivism… pertains to societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive groups which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.” Two important aspects of collectivism--the suppression of the self in the interest of the community or “the idea that the identity of an individual is not separable from the socio-cultural environment” (Ikwenobe 2006: 53) and the notion of “we are” as a basis for defining identity instead of “I am.”
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Bukuluki, P., Kaawa-Mafigiri, D., Rwemisisi, J.T. (2017). Matriarchy in Patriarchal Societies: Burden of Care of Maternal Relatives and Vulnerability of Orphans from HIV Affected Households in Luwero District Uganda. In: Kaawa-Mafigiri, D., Walakira, E. (eds) Child Abuse and Neglect in Uganda. Child Maltreatment, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48535-5_7
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