kinkeeping

This is the work of maintaining the social connections within an extended family.  It has in the past been done largely by women.  They are the ones who have remembered birthdays, bought presents, cooked for special occasions, written letters to other family members just to stay in touch, helped out when other family members are in a crisis of some kind. Depending on the family, of course, the role of the kinkeeper can be stressful.  Trying to keep everyone on an even keel can be emotionally draining.  There is a greater tendency now for partners to share this role, each one taking responsibility for their own family while sharing the family occasions that arise.  Kinkeeping is perhaps no longer women’s work.

The term kinkeeping was coined by the Canadian sociologist Carolyn Rosenthal in 1985, but it has resurfaced recently on social media.