(The information in this talk has been taken from Ann Samuelson’s presentation “Kinship,” Conrad Kottak’s

presentations “Marriage” and “Kinship”, and Conformity and Conflict 10 ed.)

Family, kinship, and marriage

A few questions: What’s family? What’s kinship? What’s

marriage?

A fundamental social group in society• 2+ people who share goals and

values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

• Usually based on kinship relationships• Usually implies rights and obligations

• Economic• Child-rearing• Etc.

• Nuclear family - widespread but not universal

Family

Kinship

How cultures perceive and formally categorize people’s relationships based on marriage, biology, and adoption• Consanguinity = by common ancestor, adoption• Affinity = by marriage

• helps to answer questions:• Who am I close to? Who am I distant from?• Who can I marry?• Who can I be romantically involved/have sex with?• Who am I obligated to cooperate with?• Who provides support during crises?• Who shares in economic and religious undertakings?• Etc.

• As long as a society remains small, kinship groups are very important.

Kinship cross-culturally

Lots of variety At individual level, usually ascribed Possibilities include:

• Unilineal Matrilineal Patrilineal

• Bilateral (e.g. most in U.S.A.& Canada, Inuit)

• Others (e.g. bilineal, ambilineal)

• Matrilineal descent: Heritage traced back to mother’s mother, mother and her siblings, and the children of your mother’s sisters. Less common. (e.g. Hopi, Canela)

Matrilocal: New husband moves in with the wife and her parents.

Pros?Cons?

Matrilineal descent

• Patrilineal descent: Most common type of Unilineal decent. Traces ancestry through male lines: starting with father’s father to father and father’s siblings, to the children of your father’s brothers. (e.g. Japan, China, feudal Europe)

Patrilocality: When a son and his family lives with his parents.

Pros?Cons?

Patrilineal descent

Marriage

Marriage cross-culturally:• 1 man + 1 woman almost

always an option but many societies also allow other forms of marriage:

Polyandry (rare) Polygyny (more common)

• Other possibilities: Same sex marriages Arranged marriages Etc.

Marriage is pretty much universal, but it’s difficult to define!

Marriage can:• establish children’s parentage• establish marriage participants’ exclusive right

to sex• give one spouse the right another spouse’s

labor and/or property• establish a joint fund of property for children • establish social ties between the spouses’

relatives• etc.

Examples:• Tibet• The Nuer - same

sex and “ghost” marriages allowed

• The Masai of East Africa - polygyny allowed

• Feudal Europe - arranged marriages

A masai elder with his wives and children.

Example: polyandry (1 woman, multiple husbands)

A polyandrous family in Nepal. The seated young woman is Terribal, age 15. She holds her youngest husband, age 5. Left of her is another husband, age 12 and behind her a third husband, age 9.

Divorce is found in most if not all societies, but the rules vary from society to society.

Factors that can influence divorce rate:• Are spouses financially independent?• Was bridewealth paid?• Will a woman lose her children if she

leaves?• Etc.

Group discussion

“Family trees” - compare• Similarities?• Differences?

How have ideas of family & marriage changed in the U.S. over the past 50 years?

Why do you think these changes have happened?

How are these changes reflected/intensified by the media?