Chapter 2 The Politics of Fertility and Generation in Buganda, East Africa, 1860–1980

Child Fostering and Family Size Preferences in Uganda

“…The creation myth of the Buganda kingdom, for example, describes kin requests to take children, suggesting the exchange of children within family groups has historically been part of family life for many ethnic groups in what is now Uganda (see Stephens 2009). Historical records and oral histories suggest a heavy reliance on fostering throughout the country in precolonial and colonial eras (Stephens 2013(Stephens , 2009, which have continued after independence (Doyle 2016(Doyle , 2013Whyte and Whyte 2004;Sembajwe 1977). Interestingly, much of this work has discussed the norms of fostering and the experiences of fostering-in children by grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cowives, but rarely explores mothers' experiences of fostering-out their children (Doyle 2016;Stephens 2013Stephens , 2009Whyte and Whyte 2004; for an exception discussing mothers' experiences, see Ainsworth 1967).…”

“…Historical records and oral histories suggest a heavy reliance on fostering throughout the country in precolonial and colonial eras (Stephens 2013(Stephens , 2009, which have continued after independence (Doyle 2016(Doyle , 2013Whyte and Whyte 2004;Sembajwe 1977). Interestingly, much of this work has discussed the norms of fostering and the experiences of fostering-in children by grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cowives, but rarely explores mothers' experiences of fostering-out their children (Doyle 2016;Stephens 2013Stephens , 2009Whyte and Whyte 2004; for an exception discussing mothers' experiences, see Ainsworth 1967). This work suggests, however, that exchanges of children occurred primarily within kin networks and followed norms and obligations of specific maternal and paternal kin.…”

“…Due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and resulting high adult mortality, much of the recent literature on in-fostering in the Ugandan context has focused on orphans and vulnerable children (Cheney 2017(Cheney , 2016Kasedde et al 2014;Karimli, Ssewamala, and Ismayilova 2012;Oleke, Blystad, and Rekdal 2005). These in-fostering practices for orphaned children are grounded in extended family and kin networks that have long provided a safety net for children in need of care, in Uganda and elsewhere (Cheney 2017;Doyle 2016;Beegle et al 2010;Stephens 2009;Page 1989). Some research suggests the extended family safety net may be weakened due to HIV/AIDS (Foster 2000), while others indicate shifting forms of extended family care to compensate for the impact of AIDS mortality (Grant & Yeatman 2012;Oleke, Blystad, and Rekdal 2005;Madhavan 2004).…”

“…As fertility behaviors change, out-fostering arrangements may similarly decline in use and importance, as Ugandan families may move toward a more nuclear family structure and the roles of social and kin networks may change in the lives of mothers and their children. Alternatively, given the prominent role of out-fostering in Uganda and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (Cotton 2021;Cheney 2017Cheney , 2016Doyle 2016;Stephens 2013;Whyte and Whyte 2004), out-fostering may provide an ongoing helping hand to mothers, regardless of how many children they have or desire.…”

“…Drawing on Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data collected in Uganda between 1988 and 2016, I examine the association between exceeding IFS and fostering-out children for mothers and children, looking at both overall associations and how these relationships may have changed over the course of approximately 30 years of fertility transition. In countries like Uganda, where fostering has long served as a social safety net for children (Cotton 2021;Cheney 2017Cheney , 2016Doyle 2016;Stephens 2009), out-fostering may act as a socially accepted means of managing excess fertility, allowing mothers to reduce the potential burden of having more children than desired.…”