Who keeps children alive? A review of the effects of kin on child survival

Evolution and human behavior • Vol/Iss. 29(1) • Elsevier • • Published In • Pages: 1-18 •
By Sear, Rebecca, Mace, Ruth

Abstract

Evolutionary anthropologists have long emphasized the puzzle of short inter-birth intervals, extended childhoods, and long post-reproductive lives of humans, in particular the problem it poses for raising children. While there is agreement that mothers receive assistance from kin to offset the high costs of raising children, opinion is equivocal as to which kin help and to what extent they help. Here the authors review 45 studies from historical and contemporary natural fertility populations to assess the effects of various types of kin on child survival rates.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Various sourcesOther researchers

Hypotheses (8)

HypothesisSupported
The death of the mother will be strongly associated with higher child mortality (5).Supported
The effect of losing a mother has the strongest effect on child survival rate in very early life (5).Supported
The effect of father death on child survival will be much smaller than the effect of mother death (5).Supported
The presence of grandmothers will predict lower child mortality rates (10).Some support
Maternal grandmothers will tend to increase child survival more than paternal grandmothers (10).Supported
Grandfathers will have significantly less effect on child survival than grandmothers (10).Supported
Maternal grandfathers will have a greater effect on child survival than paternal grandfathers (10).Not Supported
The presence of older siblings who are potential helpers will have a positive effect on child survival (11).Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: erik.ringen