Kinkeeping

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Preparing traditional holiday foods, such as gingerbread men, for family gatherings is a form of kinkeeping. Emporte piece bonhomme.jpg
Preparing traditional holiday foods, such as gingerbread men, for family gatherings is a form of kinkeeping.

Kinkeeping is the act of maintaining and strengthening familial ties. It is a form of emotional labor done both out of a sense of obligation and because of emotional attachment. [1] Kinkeepers play an important role in maintaining family cohesion and continuity. Their efforts contribute significantly to the family's social capital, providing emotional support and a sense of belonging to family members. [2] [1]

Contents

Sociologist Carolyn Rosenthal defined the term in her 1985 article, "Kinkeeping in the Familial Division of Labor". [3]

Activities

Kinkeeping activities primarily involve facilitating communication between family members and preparing for family gatherings. [4]

Kinkeeping activities help extended family members of differing households stay in touch with one another and strengthen intergenerational bonds. [2] [4] It facilitates the transfer of family traditions, values, and histories from one generation to the next. [5] Families with active kinkeepers tend to feel more connected as a family. [4]

Kinkeeping methods may include telephone calls, writing letters, visiting, sending gifts, acting as a caregiver for disabled or infirm family members, or providing economic aid. [3] [1] They may plan family gatherings and holiday events. [4] Maintaining family traditions, such as preparing particular foods for holidays, is a form of kinkeeping. [4]

Kinkeeping tends to be time-consuming. [4] The kinkeepers may enjoy their role, or they may find it burdensome. [4] They may also feel like their work, which often happens in the background, is not recognized or appreciated. [4]

Gender roles

Women are more likely to act as kinkeepers than men and often organize family events and reunions. [3] A 2006 survey of Americans found that women reported more contact with relatives than men in every age group. [6] A 2017 study found that more than 90% of self-identified kinkeepers were women. [4]

A related activity, called mankeeping, is when women provide emotional support to the men in their lives, especially for men who are socially isolated. [7] [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brown, Laura Hess; Derycke, Sara B. (2010). "The Kinkeeping Connection: Continuity, Crisis and Consensus". Journal of Intergenerational Relationships. 8 (4): 338–353. doi:10.1080/15350770.2010.520616. S2CID   145138489.
  2. 1 2 Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Shanahan, Michael J., eds. (2006). Handbook of the Life Course, Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 156. ISBN   9780387324579.
  3. 1 2 3 Rosenthal, Carolyn J. (1985). "Kinkeeping in the Familial Division of Labor". Journal of Marriage and Family. 47 (4): 965–974. doi:10.2307/352340. JSTOR   352340.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Friedman, Danielle (2024-05-08). "The Constant Work to Keep a Family Connected Has a Name". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  5. ↑ Bengtson, Vern L. (2001). "Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of Multigenerational Bonds". Journal of Marriage and Family. 63 (1): 1–16.
  6. ↑ Salari, S.; Zhang, W. (2006). "Kin keepers and good providers: Influence of gender socialization on well-being among USA birth cohorts". Aging & Mental Health. 10 (5): 485–496. doi:10.1080/13607860600647975. PMID   16938684. S2CID   24068697.
  7. ↑ Pearson, Catherine (2025-07-28). "Why Women Are Weary of the Emotional Labor of 'Mankeeping'". Archived from the original on 2025-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  8. ↑ Puzio Ferrara, Angelica; Vergara, Dylan (May 2025). "The Hidden Costs of Men's Social Isolation" . Scientific American. 332 (5): 82. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican052025-3CPGG7AmkbVqTJRr8d9IST. ISSN   0036-8733.
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