The decision to have children is one of the most significant choices that people make in their lives. In recent decades, there has been a trend of couples waiting until later in life to start families. While this may provide benefits such as financial stability and career opportunities, it can also present struggles and health …

Firstborns, especially daughters, in African communities often bear the burden of parentification and the concept of “black tax,” which refers to the additional responsibilities and pressures that African families face due to systemic racism and discrimination. In African cultures, gender expectations and cultural norms often dictate that firstborn daughters are expected to take on adult-like …

Mothers who engage in sex work face a unique set of challenges that are often overlooked by society. These women commonly experience violence, stigma, marginalization, and separation from their families and society. Stigma, in particular, limits their access to healthcare and social services, and they report multiple physical and mental health symptoms and conditions that …

Research shows that maternal incarceration is often more disruptive for mother and child than paternal incarceration. Only 9% of children with a mother in prison are cared for by their father compared to 90% of children being cared for by their mother, with a father in prison. Imprisonment can severely alter, disrupt, or even terminate …

Maternal mental disorders are understood as a wide range of emotional and psychological reactions a woman may experience during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery. Maternal mental disorders include maternal depression as well as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.  The term maternal depression encompasses a range of conditions that can affect women during pregnancy …

The value attached to the social construct of family and marital union in Kenya has discouraged divorce and allowed for stigma towards divorced parties. Based on this, many women in Kenya tolerate abusive and dysfunctional marriages to avoid the societal perception and burden that comes with divorce. Kenya has a divorce legal framework that respects …

The simple definition of a blended family, also called a stepfamily, reconstituted family, or a complex family, is a family unit where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship, but they have combined to form a new family. The parents may be in a same-sex or heterosexual relationship and may not have …

Adoption is the transfer of rights and responsibilities of a child from its birth parents to adoptive parents, which establishes a non-biological parent-child relationship. In Kenya, there are a lot of fears and misconceptions around adoption, most of which are rooted in cultural and social norms. Adoption misconceptions are based on perceptions and not facts; …