Adoption, Fostering, and Parental Absence in Vanuatu
Eva Brandl1, Emily H Emmott2, Ruth Mace2
1Lise Meitner Research Group BirthRites, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. eva_brandl@eva.mpg.de.
Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)
|August 29, 2023
Summary
Custodial alloparenting in Vanuatu, where relatives care for non-biological children, helps families adapt to socioeconomic changes. Outcomes for fostered children vary based on the reasons for the arrangement.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral ecology
- Anthropology
- Human child-rearing
Background:
- Alloparenting, or care for non-biological offspring, is common in human societies.
- Pacific Islander cultures frequently practice adoption and fostering, even with living biological parents.
- The behavioral ecology of investing in non-related children presents evolutionary questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the proximate factors of custodial alloparenting in Vanuatu.
- To understand who provides care, how arrangements are made, and child outcomes.
- To explore the drivers behind alloparenting in Pacific Islander societies.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted with 282 caregivers of fostered and adopted children in rural Vanuatu.
- Data collected focused on caregiver relationships, reasons for arrangements, and child educational investment/outcomes.
Main Results:
- Most children (87.5%) were cared for by relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents), with a preference for maternal kin.
- Primary reasons for arrangements included parental separation (16.7%) and labor migration (27.1% or combined 27.1%).
- Educational outcomes were mixed; children from crisis situations fared worse than those moved for aspirational reasons.
Conclusions:
- Custodial alloparenting serves as an adaptive strategy for families facing socioeconomic transitions and evolving marriage practices.
- The success of alloparenting arrangements is influenced by the initial reasons for child transfer.
- Understanding proximate factors is key to deciphering the ultimate evolutionary drivers of alloparenting.
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