Identifying Matrilineal Kin Networks in the United States 1900-1940

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Historical Research

Background:

• National-level analysis of historical women's life courses and kinship networks is limited by data availability.
• Previous studies used surnames to approximate patrilineal kin proximity, overlooking matrilineal networks due to women's name changes upon marriage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify married women's birth surnames using linked census data to better measure matrilineal kinship networks in the United States.
• To analyze trends in both matrilineal and patrilineal kin proximity for women between 1900 and 1940.

Main Methods:

• Utilized linked census data from IPUMS MLP, LIFE-M, and Census Tree for the period 1900-1940.
• Identified birth surnames for married women to reconstruct matrilineal kinship networks.
• Compared trends in matrilineal and patrilineal kin propinquity.

Main Results:

• Non-coresidential matrilineal kinship networks showed a decline similar to proximate patrilineal kinship networks from 1900-1940.
• Matrilineal and patrilineal kin proximity exhibited different life course patterns for married women.
• Identified data biases across linked datasets, though overall trends remained consistent.

Conclusions:

• Accounting for both matrilineal and patrilineal kin is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of women's kinship networks.
• The study provides a novel dataset for future research on women's life course and kinship in the early 20th century.
• Findings suggest distinct, yet comparable, declines in both types of kinship networks over the study period.