|
Algeria
Family and Household
Before independence the basic Algerian family unit, particularly
in the countryside, was the extended family consisting of grandparents,
their married sons and families, unmarried sons, daughters if
unmarried or if divorced or widowed with their children, and occasionally
other related adults. The structure of the family was patriarchal
and patrilineal, with the senior male member making all major
decisions affecting family welfare, dividing land and work assignments,
and representing it in dealings with outsiders. Each married couple
usually had a separate room opening onto the family courtyard
and prepared meals separately. Women spent their lives under male
authority-- first that of their fathers, then of their husbands--and
were expected to devote themselves entirely to the activities
of the home. Children were raised by all members of the group,
who passed on to them the concept and value of family solidarity.
Members of a single patrilineage lived in one compound and shared
the work on the family's common land. The lineage expressed solidarity
by adhering to a code of honor that obligated members to provide
aid to relatives in need and even in the clinging together of
members who had gone to the city to find work. Among Berber groups,
the honor and wealth of the lineage were so important that blood
revenge was justified in their defense.
Since independence there has been a trend toward smaller family
units consisting only of a husband and wife and their unmarried
children. Upon marriage a young man who can afford to do so sets
up a household for himself and his bride, and on the death of
the head of an extended family, male members and their dependents
break off into separate households.
The trend toward the smaller nuclear family has affected the
extended family structure in both urban and rural areas, although
it is more pronounced in the former. The nuclear family is fast
becoming the prevalent family structure. This change has occurred
gradually in response to many factors, including increased urbanization
and the development of wage labor.
In the early 1990s, younger and better educated Algerians tended
to favor smaller families than did previous generations. They
preferred to live in separate quarters, have fewer children, and
run their lives independently. Familial ties of loyalty and respect
were not in question, although they tended to loosen. Rather,
family relationships were rearranged with respect to living space
and decision making.
Marriage is traditionally a family rather than a personal affair
and is intended to strengthen already existing families. An Islamic
marriage is a civil contract rather than a sacrament, and consequently,
representatives of the bride's interests negotiate a marriage
agreement with representatives of the bridegroom. Although the
future spouses must, by law, consent to the match, they usually
take no part in the arrangements. The contract establishes the
terms of the union and outlines appropriate recourse if they are
broken. In the early 1990s, Algeria continued to have one of the
most conservative legal codes concerning marriage in the Middle
East, strictly observing Islamic marriage requirements.
Data as of December 1993
|
