Family Units

The family unit in Mauritania is a bit different than what you might find "normal" or "average" in the United States. For starters, many times the number of children in a given family can be upwards of 5 or 6. From the families I've seen, I would say it is rare to find a family with only a couple of kids. (I have met though one lady who is an only child.) Another main difference is that, although not universal, polygamy is not only practiced, but culturally acceptable according to Islam - a man is allowed up to 4 wives, but cannot take a second unless he is able to fully provide for both families. That being the case, in a family where there are multiple wives (and children), sometimes one wife will live with her children in one home, and another wife will live with their children in another home. The husband can sort of float from one house to another. Please don't assume that this is the most common practice in Mauritania... only that it does exist. I would say that polygamist family units are in the minority, but certainly I know of many examples. I believe this trend is on the decline as divorces are quite common-place here. From what I've heard and seen, the divorce rate is about the same as in the USA. I know one lady here in town that has been married 6 times. That is obviously not the norm either, but it is an example of how common divorces can be.

Next, within the home, you will have some times what we would call extended family members living in the same home: Grandparents, Uncles, Cousins. It is very rare for a child to leave the home of their parents until they are married. It is definitely much more acceptable for a young man to leave his parents home to find work in the capital, or to attend school (and that will happen quite often even when he is not married). However, it is basically unheard of for a woman to leave her parents' home before marriage. I believe that women who attend University before getting married will stay with relatives in Nouakchott, but very very rarely would they ever live alone, as this is not culturally acceptable.

Division of chores in the house is also quite interesting. First, in a house where the husband is at home all the time, he will rarely do much house-work. This is not an all-encompassing statement however. I have seen some men help their wives, and I've met some men (1 or 2) who like to cook. Of all of the household chores that get done, the most common chore for men to do is to make the tea. The wife is usually in charge of all of the household chores, and depending on the age of her children she will either do them all herself, have a sister help her, or delegate tasks to the children. Once the eldest young girl reaches about 13 years old, she will usually do most of the household work including cooking and cleaning for the whole family until she is married. After she is married, the mother will resume the tasks, or re-delegate to a younger child. Once again, boys will rarely cook and clean, but they will make tea. With my host family in Rosso, all the kids (in the whole neighborhood) came over to help clean up the trash in a vacant lot next to the house).

I realize that this hasn't covered all of the aspects of family living, but it's at least a start. Let me know if you have any comments or questions!