Social: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]
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Shanahan, Michael J., eds (2006). Handbook of the Life Course, Volume 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 156. ISBN 9780387324579. https://books.google.com/books?id=RMVM_8bjaWgC&pg=PA156.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rosenthal, Carolyn J. (1985). "Kinkeeping in the Familial Division of Labor". Journal of Marriage and Family 47 (4): 965–974. doi:10.2307/352340.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Friedman, Danielle (2024-05-08). "The Constant Work to Keep a Family Connected Has a Name" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/well/family/kinkeeping-families.html.
- ↑ Bengtson, Vern L. (2001). "Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of Multigenerational Bonds". Journal of Marriage and Family 63 (1): 1-16.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Pearson, Catherine (2025-07-28). "Why Women Are Weary of the Emotional Labor of ‘Mankeeping’" (in en). https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/well/family/mankeeping-definition.html.
- ↑ 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. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hidden-costs-of-mens-social-isolation/.
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