Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims all work in small family businesses. Men usually control the family property or means by which the family earns its living. About twenty-seven percent of the Punjabi in Kenya are Hindus who rigorously follow the social and economic caste system common in the Punjab region of India. Their social and economic status is based first on caste, then clan, village, division, and family. Artisan castes include carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, barbers, and sometimes weavers.
Marriage is an important institution among all Punjabi religious groups.
Traditionally, the bride lives with her husband in his village and house. However, in Kenya, as in most communities outside India and Pakistan, newly married couples set up their own homes. Parents sometimes still may arrange marriages, but this is rarely done without consulting those involved. Marriage ceremonies differ by caste and religion. Generally, they are symbolic of the ideal that a marriage is a free gift from the bride's family to the groom, with nothing taken back in exchange.