Family demography in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of family research

Tanyaradzwa N. Dube, University of the Witwatersrand

Family has been undergoing transition in sub-Saharan Africa due to general social, economic and political changes in different countries and societies. HIV has played a pivotal role in the recent changes in family in sub-Saharan Africa because of adult mortality of people in their prime age. Fifty-eight journals from 1976 to date were systematically reviewed. Data bases such as Pub Med, J Stor, Google Scholar and Science Direct were utilized. The review confirmed that there is family transition in Africa due to socio-economic factors, religion, health and political changes. Seventy-eight percent of the studies employed a quantitative approach, 19% qualitative and 3% mixed method approach. Furthermore, the review showed that family research is still under studied in Africa. Future research on family in Africa could be strengthened by using theoretical frameworks to inform research design, development of research instruments and interpretation of findings.