Summary Of The Female World Of Cards By Di Leonardo

INTRODUCTION
In “The Female World of Cards and Holidays”, di Leonardo explores how women complete kin work without getting paid, but continue to do so to please their families. Kin work refers to organizing ritual celebrations and reinforcing communication within a family, including non-nuclear families. Di Leonardo studied the relationship between women’s kinship and financial well being amongst an Italian American community in Northern California (442). Through her observation, she was able to see a pattern amongst the women in the Italian community. The women being studied all participated in housework, childcare, the labour market and kin work (441). Kin work is one of the many responsibilities women have in our present society. Women who
Communication is an essential key to creating strong relationships. Kin work includes: family visits, telephone calls, purchasing presents, mailing greeting cards and organizing holidays and many other celebrations (442). Di Leonardo states that these actions are gendered because “like housework and childcare, men in the aggregate do not do it” (443). Therefore, in a family household, men work to make income. While women, on the other hand, remain at home doing kin work in order to ensure family ties. Due to historical and cultural reasons, kin work is gendered according to di Leonardo. Women’s kin work is divided into two domains: labour and network. The first domain, labour, consists of taking care of the home, children, husband and the elderly (441). These activities are socially reproduced and are expected from women. The second domain, network, “focuses on women’s domestic or kin-centered networks” (441). Kin work consists of altruistic efforts, which expresses the love for the family. Therefore, society should consider kin work as work since women are reinsuring kinship on both family sides. Kin work requires dedication and effort just as any other type of