Kinship and Domestic Life (Chapter 6)
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Transcript of Kinship and Domestic Life (Chapter 6)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
Kinship and Domestic Life(Chapter 6)
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
The BIG Questions
How do cultures create kinship ties through descent, sharing, and marriage?
What is a household and what do anthropologists study about household life?
How are kinship and households changing?
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
What is Kinship Cross-Culturally? What is kinship?
Kinship is a sense of being related to another person or persons A family is a group of people who consider themselves
related through kinship (can be by blood, marriage, or adoption)
Has various rules and/or laws determining who is kin and who is not, what to call various kin, how they behave towards other kin, etc. A kinship system is the combination of rules about
who are kin and the expected behavior of kin Kinship links with all aspects of culture
Kinship is often linked with modes of production and reproduction, as well as various symbols and beliefs
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What is the importance of kinship? Is a main way that social life is organized in
all cultures The kinship group has a variety of functions…
Ensures the continuity of the group by arranging/supporting marriages
Strives to maintain social order by setting moral rules and punishing offenders
Provides for the basic needs of members by regulating production, consumption, and distribution
Ideally provides psychological support
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What is the importance of kinship?
Especially in societies where other institutions such as centralized government, a professional military, or financial banks are absent or do not function effectively, in such societies individuals must depend on a wide network of kin for support and protection Need kin to secure food, shelter, and other
necessities
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Depicting Kinship
Kinship diagram A schematic way of presenting the kinship
relationships of a particular individual Starts with a particular individual (ego)
Genealogy A schematic way of presenting a family
tree, constructed by beginning with the earliest ancestors that can be traced, then working down to the present Does not begin with ego
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Drawing a Kinship Chart: Symbols for Individuals
female
male
deceased female
deceased male
female “ego” of the diagram
male “ego” of the diagram
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Kinship Relationshipsis married to
is cohabiting with
is divorced from
is separated from
adopted-in female
adopted-in male
is descended from
is the sibling of
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Three Ways of Being Kin
Descent Sharing Marriage
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Descent Descent is the tracing of kinship relationships
through parentage Bilateral descent system
A child is recognized as being related by descent to both parents
Most associated with foraging and industrialism/informatics modes of production
Unilineal descent system Recognizes descent through only one parent,
either the father (patrilineal) or the mother (matrilineal)
Most common form of descent (60 percent of the world’s cultures)
Most associated with pastoralism, horticulture, and agricultural modes of production
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Descent Which descent system do we have in
the U.S.? Bilateral descent system or Unilineal
descent system
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Descent Which descent system do we have in the
U.S.? Bilateral descent system
Socially related to both our parents Trace ancestry through both our parents
Some aspects of a patrilineal system Women taking on husband’s last name when they
marry Children receiving father’s last name
Father giving away daughter at the wedding Some aspects of a matrilineal system
High divorce rates or female-headed households Children often live with mother, take on mother’s last
name
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Bilateral Descent Traces kinship from both parents equally to the
child Socially related to both the mother and father
Found in about 40 percent of the world’s cultures
Most common among foraging societies and industrial/informatics societies Both rely on a flexible gender division of labor in
which both males and females contribute to production and exchange relatively equally
Small family units in these environments are adaptive and more mobile – more opportunities for surviving and making a living U.S. Ju/’hoansi Inuit/Eskimo
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Patrilineal Descent Kinship is traced through the male line
Socially related to father Found among 45 percent of all cultures Common in a variety of different modes
of production Most common in areas where men play
the primary role in the production of food and other resources
Men are the primary decision makers and have the most power
Property is passed down through the male line
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Patrilineal Descent•Found among 45% of all cultures
• Kinship is traced through the male line
• Males dominate status, power, and property
•Patriline = purple color in this diagram
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Patrilineal Descent
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Matrilineal Descent Kinship is traced through the female line
Socially related to mother Male in the society “holds his children in his lap, but guides
his nieces and nephews with his right hand.” Male takes special responsibility for his sister’s children, who are socially more related to him than his own children (p. 146)
Found among 15 percent of all cultures Exists in a variety of modes of production but
is most commonly found in horticultural societies in which females play a large role in the production and distribution of food and other resources
Often associated with public leadership positions for women
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Matrilineal Descent• Found among 15% of all cultures
• Kinship is traced through the female line
• Women control land and products
• Found in Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and in some parts of Europe and North America
•Example: the Minangkabau of Indonesia
•Matriline = purple color in this diagram
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Matrilineal Descent
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Example of a matrilineal culture: the Minangkabau of Indonesia
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Residence Rules Refer to where a couple moves to after they
decide to cohabit or get married Patrilocal Matrilocal Neolocal Ambilocal or Bilocal
Often follows the prevailing direction of descent rules, but not always Ashanti – matrilineal and patrilocal
Has political, economic, and social implications
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Residence Rules Patrilocal (or virilocal) – marital
residence with or near the husband’s family Often occurs in patrilineal societies
Patrilineal descent and patrilocal residence promote the development of cohesive male-focused lineages that are associated with frequent local warfare, which requires the presence of a force of fighting men on the home front
Often occurs in societies where men own/control land and resources
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Residence Rules Matrilocal (or uxorilocal) – martial
residence with or near the wife’s family Often occurs in matrilineal societies
Matrilineal descent and matrilocal residence is often found among groups that engage in long-distance warfare
Strong female household bonds maintain the domestic scene while the men are absent on military campaigns (e.g. precolonial Iroquois of upstate New York)
Often occurs in societies where women own/control land and resources
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Residence Rules Neolocal
Marital residence in a place different from either the bride’s or groom’s family
Common in Western industrialized society Small family units in these environments are
adaptive and more mobile – more opportunities for surviving and making a living
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Residence Rules Ambilocal or bilocal
Marital residence in a place near either the bride’s or groom’s family Get to choose which side of the family to live
near
Common in foraging societies Genders have relatively equal power More adaptive depending on the available
environmental resources
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Kin through Sharing Many cultures emphasize kinship ties
based on acts of sharing and support May be either informal or formally certified
Godparents Adoption Fostering a child Food sharing
Rice-sharing in Malaysia – people who eat cooked rice together may be viewed as kin although they are not blood relatives
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Kinship Through Sharing
In many cultures people create kinship through sharing
Adoption and fostering
Godparents
Food sharing
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Two Kinship Naming Systems
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Eskimo Kinship Naming System
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Iroquois Kinship Naming System
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Marriage - Definition Marriage exists in all cultures, though it
may take different forms and serve different functions.
Marriage is defined as a more or less stable union, usually between two people, who may be, but are not necessarily, co-residential, sexually involved with each other, and procreative with each other.
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Some Functions of Marriage To form alliances between or within
different groups or families Establish social and economic contracts To rear children To define social identity of children To regulate sexual activity
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Marriage Preferences and Rules All cultures have preferences about whom one
should and should not marry and with whom one should and should not have sexual intercourse Some preferences are informal and implicit Other preferences are formal and explicit
All cultures have some sort of rules of exclusion or incest taboo - a rule prohibiting marriage or sexual intercourse between close relatives Who is defined as a “close” relative differs across
cultures Universal – taboo against marriage or sexual
relationships between parents and children Nearly universal – taboo against marriage and sexual
relationships between brothers and sisters
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Marriage Preferences Also preferences about marrying within or
outside of a particular group Endogamy – marriage within a particular group
e.g. marrying someone within your social class e.g. marrying someone within your religion e.g. marrying someone within your village e.g. marrying someone within your kin
Cross-cousin marriage Parallel-cousin marriage
Exogamy – marriage outside a defined group e.g. marrying someone outside your village e.g. marrying someone outside your social class
A society that practices exogamy at one level may practice endogamy at another.
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Two Forms of Cousin Marriage
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Is first cousin marriage legal in the U.S.?
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Is first cousin marriage legal in the U.S.?
It is in many states! http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=4266
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But – oh no, you say! If I do that my children will be horribly deformed!
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But – oh no, you say! If I do that my children will be horribly deformed!
But not so fast… That depends largely on the genetics of the family A number of research studies show that risks of
genetic problems are only slightly increased with first-cousin marriage
First cousins: know the risks.(Upfront: News in perspective)(Brief article). Source:New Scientist 198.2657 (May 24, 2008): p4(1). (276 words)
(continued on next page)
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But – oh no, you say! If I do that my children will be horribly deformed!
“geneticist Alan Bittles of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, says education and genetic testing is the best way to minimise the risk.”
“To estimate the risk, Bittle reviewed 48 studies from 11 countries. He found that infant mortality is only 1.2 per cent higher among the children of first cousins compared with children that have more distantly related parents. That is in line with a 2002 review suggesting that first-cousin children are less than 3 per cent more likely to have birth defects.”
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Marriage Preferences What are some factors involved in spouse
selection?
What characteristics would your ideal spouse have?
How do you think your family’s idea of an ideal spouse for you would compare/contrast with your idea of the ideal spouse? Would you be open to the idea of your family
arranging a marriage for you? Why or why not? How are these ideas influenced by your culture?
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Marriage Preferences
Preferences Features such as age, height, looks,
wealth, education, personality characteristics
Romantic love in some cultures
Spouse’s ability to bear children, physical strength, clan membership, etc. in other cultures
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Status Considerations in Partner Selection (Heterosexual Pairing)
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Marriage Gifts Most marriages are accompanied by exchanges
of goods or services between the partners, members of their families, and friends Dowry – transfer of goods and sometimes money from
the bride’s side of the family to the new married couple for their use
Brideprice (bridewealth) – transfer of goods or money from the groom’s family to the bride’s family
Bride-service – a type of brideprice which includes the transfer of labor from the groom to his parents-in-law for a designated time period
Can get mixtures of these – U.S. groom’s family traditionally pays for the rehearsal dinner and bride’s family pays for the wedding
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Major Types of Marriage Gifts and Exchanges
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Forms of Marriage Monogamy – a marriage between two people
Heterosexual monogamy is the most common form of marriage cross-culturally
In many countries it is the only legal form of marriage Polygamy – a marriage involving multiple
spouses A pattern allowed in many cultures Are two forms of polygamy…
Polygyny – marriage of one man with more than one woman
Polyandry – marriage of one woman with more than one man
Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, some parts of India
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Forms of Marriage
Monogamy: marriage between two people
• Most common form of marriage cross-culturally
Polygamy: marriage with multiple spouses– Polygyny: one man
and more than one woman
– Polyandry: one woman and more than one man
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Polygamy Videos Polygamy in the U.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMgjxU6gN0 Estimated between 30,000 and 100,000
polygamists living in the U.S.
Polygamy amongst the Maasi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_cptHuf
TQ&feature=related
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Forms of Marriage What are some drawbacks and
advantages of polygamy?
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
Households A household is a person or persons who
occupy a shared living space and who may or may not be related by kinship Can be made up of families but not always
a group of friends who live in the same apartment make up a household, though they are not kin
a single person living alone can also be a household
Residential unit that carries out economic production and consumption, co-ordinates work, inheritance, child rearing, provision of shelter
Humans are dependent on group living for survival Household is often the first place we turn to have our
physical, economic, social, and psychological needs fulfilled
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Household Types Nuclear household
Domestic group that contains one adult couple, with or without children
Most characteristic of the foraging and industrial/informatics mode of production Reflects need for spatial mobility and flexibility in
both modes of production
Extended household Domestic group that contains more than one
adult married couple Constitute a substantial proportion of households
in horticultural, pastoralist, and agricultural economies
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Household Types Single-person or single-parent
household Single-person household
One person living alone
Single-parent household One person living with his/her children
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Household Types What are some advantages and
drawbacks of each household type?
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Intrahousehold Dynamics
Spouse/partner relationships Marital satisfaction differs in love matches
and arranged marriages Domestic violence
Found in most but not all cultures and in differing degrees
More common where men control wealth and where woman have less power
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Changing Kinship and Household Dynamics Change in descent
Decline of matrilineal descent due to colonialism and globalization Males were named as household heads, and
land was registered in their names
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Changing Kinship and Household Dynamics Change in marriage
Decrease in arranged marriages and increases in elopements Spread of globalization and western ideas of finding “the
one” by yourself and falling in love and living happily ever after
Age at time of first marriage is increasing Women getting more education, both men and women
wanting to save and be more financially stable before marriage
Increasing number of marriages between people of different nations and ethnicities Globalization and technological advances - Ease of
communication and travel across long distances
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Changing Kinship and Household Dynamics Change in marriage
Marriage crises Situations in which people who want to get married
cannot do so for one reason or another Often economic reasons
Cannot afford to pay a culturally appropriate bride-price
Unequal ratio of men to women
Increasing desire for the ideal, western-like, fairy tale wedding ceremonies Brought about by globalization
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Changing Kinship and Household Dynamics Changing households
Possibility for decline in extended families in industrializing areas Possibility for increase in the nuclear family, which is more
flexible/mobile Less nuclear families in the U.S. and increased
diversity in households forms In 1950, 60% of U.S. households were nuclear families with
dependent children Today only 24% of U.S. households are nuclear families with
dependent children Rise in unmarried couples living together Rise in households with children living with grandparents or
other relatives Rise in single-family households Rise in blended families (like the Brady Bunch)
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Changing Kinship and Household Dynamics Changing households
International migration Increasing intra-household conflict with
international migration Tension between children learning the new culture and
adults retaining the ancestral culture
Or one household member lives and works abroad temporarily and semi-permanently (often a male)
Sends money back home (often to a wife and children)
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008
The BIG Questions Revisited
How do cultures create kinship ties through descent, sharing, and marriage?
What is a household and what do anthropologists study about household life?
How are kinship and households changing?