Scelza, Brooke Anne

DR. BROOKE A. SCELZA, University of California, Los Angeles, California, was awarded a grant in April 2011 to aid research on 'Female Social Support in Productive Reproductive Domains.' Women around the world strive to balance the dual demands of production and reproduction. Often, they rely on one another for support in these endeavors. Previous research has shown that support networks are critical to the health and well-being of women and their children. However, many previous studies relied on general self-reported measures of support and made broad correlations between support and health outcomes. The goal of this research was to offer an anthropological complement to existing research by providing a thorough understanding of why supportive relationships arise and thrive between particular individuals, how support networks change across the lifespan, and what the behavioral pathways are that lead to improvements in maternal and child health. These relationships were studied among the Himba, a highly traditional group of Namibian pastoralists. Life history interviews and health measurements were collected on more than 200 individuals. The data show that women have complex support relationships, which change according to age and marital status. The number and sex of their children, how many co-wives they have, and whether they are currently married all affect how much help women receive and their nutritional status. Children were also found to be integral parts of the support network.