ABSTRACT
European concepts of headship were exported to much of the developing world through the imposition of colonial rule. In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to reform family law have met with less success, though they have aroused opposition that illustrates the persistent legal and political connotations of male headship. The conceptual problems raised by the definition of "headship" cannot be solved by simply introducing the new, less overtly political term "householder." The concept of householder can actually worsen measurement problems, because it is sometimes defined in terms that provide less information than the conventional measures of "headship." Differentials in male and female mortality have obvious Implications; female headship tends to be particularly high in the aftermath of war. Upperclass parents, with an eye to the intergenerational transmission of property and status, discouraged marriage in difficult economic times, since female headship was not necessarily a liability for those who inherited substantial wealth.
