The Evolving Sociology of the Family in Sierra Leone: Changing Patterns Due to Economic Pressures, Technology, Aging Populations, and New Forms of Kinship in Sierra Leone

Abstract

In this article, I explore the ways in which the sociology of families in Sierra Leone is changing considering economic pressures, accelerated adoption of technology, demographic shifts (including local aging), and the rise of “flexible” or “chosen” kinship networks. This is a secondary evidence synthesis (not a primary or mixed-methods field study): it integrates quantitative sources (national statistics, household surveys, and administrative indicators) with qualitative sources (ethnographies and case studies). Quantitative and qualitative evidence were combined through thematic synthesis, with country-level statistics used to contextualize and bound interpretive claims drawn from qualitative studies and wider West African literature. Using this approach, I explore specific routes that households adopt in response to these changes. Among the key results include splitting of households because of migration and precarity; the importance of cell phones and money transfers via cell phone in maintaining links; and foster care and other forms of caregiving becoming more common. A focus on the role of gender in these processes includes the importance of women’s contributions as income earners as well as caregivers in an increasingly aged society with limited formal social welfare systems. Finally, the article concludes with recommendations for policy makers, suggesting that there be a need to bolster and expand social protection programs, develop elder care programming, improve digital literacy, enhance consumer protection in mobile banking, and recognize the role of caregivers. In essence, the families in Sierra Leone are neither deteriorating nor stagnating; they are transforming in a dynamic way that calls for sociological study and proper policy formulation.