Migration and patrilineal descent: the effects of spatial male mobility on social female mobility in rural Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Migration processes in Kyrgyzstan have given rise to fundamental social and demographic changes with the result that many villages and town quarters are nowadays inhabited solely by women, children and the elderly, whereas younger and middle-aged men live as migrants elsewhere. In this article I explore the role of women in the maintenance of a strong patrilineal descent system, in the absence of their husbands or sons. This is achieved in a variety of ways. Grandmothers play a significant role in transmitting oral genealogies and passing stories on to their children. Other important female roles include changing the names of male relatives of husbands and appointing marriage partners. The role of mothers-in-law in the formation of their sons’ marriage ties in the latter’s absence furthermore points to the powerful positions of these women. The final point is that young brides continue to live with their parents-in-law, even if their husbands do not, and must be respectful.