Marriage and family structures are diverse across cultures, reflecting societal values and norms. From to , these unions establish rights and obligations between individuals, creating social, economic, and political ties. Cultural practices like and further shape marital dynamics.
Residence patterns after marriage, such as or , influence family structure and . Remarriage customs, including levirate and sororate marriages, maintain family alliances and support networks. These practices highlight the complex interplay between culture, economics, and in shaping family systems worldwide.
Marriage and Family Structures
Anthropological definition of marriage
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Culturally sanctioned union establishing rights and obligations between two or more people
Involves social (kinship ties), economic (resource sharing), political (alliances), and sexual (reproduction) dimensions
Regulates sexual behavior, reproduction, and family formation within a society
Creates alliances and social bonds between individuals, families, and communities (clans, tribes)
Exhibits wide cross-cultural variation in forms, practices, and meanings
Reflects cultural values, beliefs, and social structures
Adapts to changing social, economic, and political conditions over time
Cross-cultural marriage forms
Monogamy involves marriage between two individuals
Legally and culturally dominant form in many Western societies (United States, Europe)
Polygamy involves marriage with multiple spouses
entails one man marrying multiple wives
Most common polygamous form across cultures (Islamic societies, sub-Saharan Africa)
Typically associated with descent (tracing kinship through male line) and patrilocal residence (living with husband's family)
entails one woman marrying multiple husbands
Relatively uncommon but practiced in some societies (Nyinba of Nepal, Toda of India)
Often linked to descent (tracing kinship through female line) and matrilocal residence (living with wife's family)
Group marriage involves multiple husbands and wives in a single marriage
Rare but documented in a few societies (Toda of India, historical Oneida community in New York)
Same-sex marriage involves partners of the same gender
Legally recognized in some countries (United States, Canada, Australia) and gaining acceptance in many Western cultures
Historically practiced in some indigenous societies (Two-Spirit individuals in Native American cultures)
vary across cultures, reflecting local traditions and beliefs
Economics and symbolism of marriage compensations
Bridewealth involves transfer of goods or money from groom's family to bride's family
Symbolizes value placed on bride and establishes alliance between families
Serves as social insurance for bride, providing economic support in case of divorce or widowhood
Can be a significant economic burden for groom's family (livestock, land, money)
Dowry involves transfer of goods or money from bride's family to groom's family
Symbolizes value placed on groom and establishes alliance between families
Serves as inheritance for bride, providing economic resources in her marital household
Can be a significant economic burden for bride's family (jewelry, household items, money)
Gift exchange involves reciprocal giving of goods between bride's and groom's families
Symbolizes establishment and maintenance of social ties and obligations between families
Can involve a wide range of items (food, clothing, livestock, jewelry)
Marriage compensations have significant economic implications for families and communities
Can create or reinforce economic inequalities between families and social classes
Can influence marriage decisions and partner selection based on economic considerations
These practices contribute to within societies
Marriage and residence pattern connections
Patrilocal residence involves married couple living with or near husband's family
Commonly associated with patrilineal descent and polygyny
Strengthens husband's family ties and enables male control over economic resources (land, livestock)
Can limit women's autonomy and decision-making power in the household
Matrilocal residence involves married couple living with or near wife's family
Commonly associated with matrilineal descent and polyandry
Strengthens wife's family ties and enables female control over economic resources (land, crops)
Can enhance women's status and decision-making power in the household
residence involves married couple establishing a new household independent of either family
Commonly associated with monogamy and structure (parents and children)
Allows for greater individual autonomy and mobility, especially in industrial societies
Can weaken ties and support networks
Residence patterns shape family structure, gender roles, and resource distribution
Influence the organization of domestic labor and childcare responsibilities
Impact inheritance patterns and the transmission of property across generations
Cultural significance of remarriage
involves a widow marrying her deceased husband's brother
Maintains alliance between families and ensures support for widow and her children
Preserves patrilineal continuity by keeping children within the husband's lineage
Practiced in some African (Nuer) and Middle Eastern (ancient Israelites) societies
involves a widower marrying his deceased wife's sister
Maintains alliance between families and ensures support for widower and his children
Preserves matrilineal continuity by keeping children within the wife's lineage
Practiced in some indigenous South American (Yanomami) and African (Tswana) societies
involves a living person marrying a deceased person
Provides social and economic support for the deceased's family, especially parents
Ensures continuity of family line and fulfillment of filial duties to ancestors
Practiced in some Chinese and Sudanese Nuer societies, often involving a deceased bachelor
Remarriage customs reflect cultural beliefs about family, kinship, and the afterlife
Emphasize the importance of maintaining family alliances and support networks
Prioritize the well-being of children and their integration into extended kin groups
Incorporate spiritual beliefs about ancestral ties and obligations to the deceased
Family Systems and Cultural Norms
examines how family members interact and influence each other
encourages understanding family practices within their cultural context
Gender roles within families vary across cultures and influence family dynamics
is a near-universal prohibition against sexual relations between close relatives
differ across cultures, reflecting local values and social norms
Key Terms to Review (28)
Alliance Theory: Alliance theory is a framework used in anthropology to understand the formation and dynamics of social alliances, particularly in the context of marriage and kinship relationships across cultures. It focuses on the strategic and reciprocal nature of these alliances and how they shape the social and economic structures of a community.
Bilateral: Bilateral refers to something that involves or affects two sides, parties, or aspects. In the context of kinship and family structures, it describes a system of tracing descent and relationships through both the paternal and maternal lines.
Bridewealth: Bridewealth is the payment made by the groom or his family to the bride's family upon marriage. It is a common practice in many cultures and is closely tied to the concepts of marriage and family structures across societies.
Cultural Relativism: Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual's beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of their own culture, rather than being judged by the standards of another culture. It is a central concept in anthropology that emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural practices and beliefs within their own context, rather than imposing external moral or ethical judgments.
Descent Theory: Descent theory is a concept in anthropology that examines the ways in which individuals and groups trace their ancestry and family relationships. It focuses on the principles and patterns of how people determine their kinship and lineage, which can have significant implications for social structure, inheritance, and cultural practices within a society.
Divorce Customs: Divorce customs refer to the culturally-specific practices, rituals, and social norms surrounding the dissolution of a marriage. These customs vary widely across different societies and can have significant implications for the individuals involved, their families, and the broader community.
Dowry: A dowry is a payment in the form of money, goods, or property that a bride's family makes to the groom or his family upon marriage. It is a cultural practice observed in certain societies, particularly in parts of Asia and Africa, as part of the marriage tradition.
Exogamy: Exogamy is the cultural practice of marrying outside of one's own social group or kinship network. It is a fundamental concept in anthropology that is closely tied to the study of kinship, marriage, and cultural diversity across societies.
Extended Family: An extended family is a household that extends beyond the nuclear family, typically including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives living together. This family structure is common in many cultures and plays a significant role in kinship, household dynamics, and marriage practices across the globe.
Family Systems Theory: Family Systems Theory is a framework for understanding how families function as interconnected and interdependent units. It views the family as a complex system where the behavior and dynamics of each individual member are shaped by and influence the overall family structure and interactions.
Gender Roles: Gender roles refer to the socially constructed expectations, behaviors, and activities that a given society considers appropriate for individuals based on their biological sex. These roles are learned, can vary across cultures, and influence how people perceive and interact with one another in a given society.
Ghost Marriage: A ghost marriage is a marriage between a living person and a deceased person, or between two deceased individuals. This practice is found in certain cultures, typically as a means of upholding family lineages, honoring the deceased, or ensuring the deceased individual's afterlife is properly cared for.
Incest taboo: The incest taboo is a cultural norm that prohibits sexual relations or marriage between close relatives. This norm exists in various forms across societies, reflecting deep-seated beliefs about family structure, social organization, and the potential consequences of inbreeding. It plays a crucial role in shaping kinship systems and familial relationships, influencing marriage customs and social bonds across different cultures.
Kinship: Kinship refers to the socially recognized relationships between individuals that are based on blood, marriage, or adoption. It is a fundamental aspect of human social organization, shaping the way people interact, form families, and define their place within a broader community.
Levirate Marriage: Levirate marriage is a type of marriage practice where a man marries his deceased brother's widow. This custom is found in some traditional societies and is often rooted in cultural and religious traditions that aim to provide care and support for the widow and any children from the previous marriage.
Marriage Rituals: Marriage rituals are the customary practices and ceremonies that mark the union of two individuals in marriage across various cultures. These rituals hold deep cultural, social, and symbolic significance, shaping the experience and meaning of marriage for the couples and their communities.
Matrilineal: Matrilineal refers to a system of kinship and inheritance in which lineage, descent, and inheritance are traced through the mother's side of the family. This structure has significant implications for social organization, gender roles, and familial relationships in various cultures, influencing how societies view kinship and authority.
Matrilocal: Matrilocal refers to a societal or familial arrangement where a married couple resides with or near the wife's family or maternal relatives. This term is particularly relevant in the context of reckoning kinship across cultures and understanding marriage and family structures in diverse societies.
Monogamy: Monogamy is the practice of having a single romantic partner or spouse at a given time. It is a common marital and reproductive strategy observed across various human societies and some animal species.
Neolocal: Neolocal refers to the pattern of residence where a newly married couple establishes a household separate from the families of either spouse. This living arrangement is distinct from other kinship-based residence patterns, such as patrilocal or matrilocal, where the couple resides with or near the family of the husband or wife, respectively.
Nuclear Family: The nuclear family is a household unit consisting of a pair of adults and their children. It is the most basic and common form of the family, and is central to the structure and organization of many societies.
Patrilineal: Patrilineal refers to a system of family organization and kinship in which descent and inheritance are traced through the paternal line, with individuals belonging to the clan or lineage of their father. This concept is central to understanding various aspects of ethnography, ethnology, acephalous societies, kinship, and marriage and family structures across cultures.
Patrilocal: Patrilocal refers to the practice of a married couple residing with or near the husband's family or clan after marriage. This living arrangement is common in many cultures and has significant implications for kinship reckoning and family structures across societies.
Polyandry: Polyandry is a form of marriage where a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. This term is significant in the context of anthropological topics related to family, kinship, marriage, and sexuality across cultures.
Polygamy: Polygamy is the practice of being married to multiple spouses simultaneously. It is a form of marriage that involves more than two partners and is found in various cultural and religious contexts around the world.
Polygyny: Polygyny is a form of marriage where a man has multiple female spouses simultaneously. It is a type of polygamy, which is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Polygyny is particularly relevant in the context of ethnography, primatology, kinship studies, and the cross-cultural examination of marriage and family structures.
Social Stratification: Social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of individuals and groups within a society based on factors such as wealth, power, status, and access to resources. It is a fundamental concept in understanding the structure and dynamics of human societies across different cultural and historical contexts.
Sororate Marriage: Sororate marriage is a type of marriage practice where a man marries his deceased wife's sister or multiple sisters. This custom is found in some societies and cultures as a way to maintain family ties and ensure the care of the widow and her children after the death of the original wife.