The nonhuman primate perspective: Old age, kinship and social partners in a monkey society

Abstract

This paper presents a perspective on the topic of intergenerational relations among nonhuman primate females, reporting on a study of the social manifestations of aging in female Japanese monkeys. Japanese monkeys are representative of many of the well-studied old world monkeys, living in female-bonded societies characterized by the dispersal of natal males. The intergenerational relationships among female kin represent the most fundamental and enduring relationships in the group. The life-time bonds between mothers and daughters are characterized by affiliative behaviors and by mutual support in times of conflict with non-family members. Because kinship bonds persist across the lifecourse, old females do not become socially isolated, nor experience a decrease in social power, nor engage in behavior patterns distinct from those of middleaged or young adults. Changes in female social networks occur within this strong intergenerational female kinship structure: in youth, a female's primary social bond is with her mother; in old age, it is with her daughter.