Measuring Lineage: Implications for Family Violence Research in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Previous research on family violence in sub-Saharan Africa highlighted the importance of lineage to women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). The findings suggest women in patrilineal societies face a greater risk of experiencing IPV than those in matrilineal societies. However, a major critique of this body of work is the operationalization of lineage with ethnicity. This study highlights the weaknesses/strengths of using ethnicity as a proxy for lineage by comparing it to direct measures of lineage. Specifically, we tested the validity of lumping ethnic groups together to create lineage categories against measures that directly ask respondents to self-identify their lineage. We also explored the effects of lineage on different types of IPV. We used representative cross-sectional data collected between May and August 2022 from 1,624 ever-married Ghanaian women aged 18 years and older and residing in three major ecological zones—Coastal, Middle, and Northern Zones—that reflect differences in ecology, culture, and modernity in Ghana. Descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyze the data. The findings suggest significant differences in direct (self-identified) and indirect (ethnic) measures of lineage. The majority of respondents who were classified as matrilineal or patrilineal based on their ethnic backgrounds self-reported as belonging to these lineage categories. Both direct and indirect measures of lineage were significantly associated with IPV. However, given the limited operationalization of lineage based on ethnicity, self-identified measures were more useful. While ethnicity remains an important proxy for lineage, self-identified measures of the construct are better if available.