Marrying into an age-set

The redefinition of social relations and extension of women's social networks in Bashada

Abstract

The study of age-systems in East Africa has generally excluded the role of women, who in most cases do not have their own, but are rather associated to their husbands' age-sets through marriage. Commonly, such societies are male-dominated and patrilineal. As age-sets typically cut across kinship lines, they permit both men and women to enter into additional relationships to widen their social networks. While many authors have described the different functions of age-systems, including the relationships among age-mates and between members of senior and junior age-sets, the question of how women's lives are influenced or changed through age-set networks has remained open. This article examines to what extent age-set affiliation brings about new chances and additional agency or alternatively restricts women even more to their traditionally defined roles as wives and mothers.