kinship and domestic life (chapter 6)

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Kinship and Domestic Life(Chapter 6)


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?


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


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


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


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


Drawing a Kinship Chart: Symbols for Individuals

female

male

deceased female

deceased male

female “ego” of the diagram

male “ego” of the diagram


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


Three Ways of Being Kin

Descent Sharing Marriage


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


Descent Which descent system do we have in

the U.S.? Bilateral descent system or Unilineal

descent system


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


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


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


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


Patrilineal Descent


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


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


Matrilineal Descent


Example of a matrilineal culture: the Minangkabau of Indonesia


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


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


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


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


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


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


Kinship Through Sharing

In many cultures people create kinship through sharing

Adoption and fostering

Godparents

Food sharing


Two Kinship Naming Systems


Eskimo Kinship Naming System


Iroquois Kinship Naming System


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.


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


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


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.


Two Forms of Cousin Marriage


Is first cousin marriage legal in the U.S.?


Is first cousin marriage legal in the U.S.?

It is in many states! http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=4266


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)



“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.”


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?


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


Status Considerations in Partner Selection (Heterosexual Pairing)


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


Major Types of Marriage Gifts and Exchanges


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


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


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


Forms of Marriage What are some drawbacks and

advantages of polygamy?


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


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


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


Household Types What are some advantages and

drawbacks of each household type?


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


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


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


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


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)


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)


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?

kinship and domestic life (chapter 6)

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