Kinship and Marriage

Kinship  

•  Culturally  defined  relationship  established  on  the  basis  of  blood  ties  or  
through  marriage  
 
•  Kinship  system    -­‐  Kin  relations,  kin  groups,  and  terms  for  classifying  kin  
in  a  society  
 Kinship  

Two  main  functions  of  kinship:  

•  Provides  continuity  between  generations  
•  Inheritance  and  succession  
•  Defines  a  group  on  whom  a  person  can  rely  for  aid  
•  Provides  allies  and  marriage  partners  
•  Regulates  access  to  land  and  resource  
o  Kin  classification  is  cultural  and  may  not  reflect  biology  
 Descent  

•  Descent-­‐  Affiliations  between  children  and  parents  

•  Descent  groups-­‐  group  of  kin  who  are  descendants  of  a  common  
ancestor,  extending  beyond  2  generations  
 Descent  

•  Functions  of  descent  groups:  

•  Organize  domestic  life  
•  Enculturate  children  
•  Allow  transfer  of  property  
•  Carry  out  religious  ritual  
•  Settle  disputes  
•  Create  political  organization  and  monitor  warfare  
 Kinship  Classification  
Kinship  classification  is  related  to:  
•  The  types  of  social  groups  that  are  formed  

•  Systems  of  marriage  and  inheritance  

•  Deep  and  broad  cultural  values    
•  Roles  people  play  in  society  based  on  their  kinship  association  
 
**  It  is  important  to  remember  that  the  systems  feel  as  natural  to  their      
members  as  your  system  does  to  you    
 Kinship  Classification  
Principles  of  classifying  kin:  
•  Generation  
•  Relative  age  
•  Lineality  (blood  through  descent)  vs.  Collaterality  (siblings,  cousins  etc)  
•  Gender  
•  Consanguineal  (blood  relative)  vs.  Affinal  kin  (marriage  relative)  
•  Sex  of  linking  relative  
•  Side  of  the  family-­‐  
•  Parallel  cousins  vs.  Cross-­‐cousins  
 Descent  

Two  main  types  of  descent:  Unilineal  and  Bilineal  

Lineage:  a  group  of  kin  whose  members  trace  descent  from  a  
known  common  ancestor  
•  Unilineal  Descent:  based  on  links  through  paternal  (patrilineal)  
or  maternal  line  (matrilineal)  
 Descent  

•  Advantages:    
•  Forms  non-­‐overlapping  descent  groups  that  perpetuate  themselves  
over  time  even  though  membership  changes    
•  Provide  clear  group  membership  for  everyone  in  the  society  
•  Clear  rights  of  ownership,  social  duties  and  roles  
•  There  is  flexibility  and  change  in  these  systems,  and  not  all  
unilineal  groups  operate  the  same  way  
 Patrilineal  Descent    
Patrilineage  
•  Descent  is  traced  through  male  lineage  
•  Inheritance  moves  from  father  to  son,  as  does  
succession  to  office  
•  Man’s  position  as  father  and  husband  is  the  most  
important  source  of  male  authority  
•  Example:  Village  of  Ha  Tsuen,  Hong  Kong  
 Patrilineal  Descent  Group  
o Found  among  45%  of  all  
cultures  
o   Kinship  is  traced  
through  the  male  line  
o   Males  dominate  
status,  power,  and  
property  
o Strongest  versions  
found  in  South  Asia  
(India,  Pakistan)  and  
East  Asia  
 Matrilineage  

•  Descent  is  traced  through  the  female  line  

•  Membership  includes  a  woman,  her  siblings,  her  sister’s  
children,  her  own  children,  and  the  children  of  her  daughters  
 
 Matrilineage  
•  Children  belong  to  the  mother’s  descent  group  
•  Many  rights  and  responsibilities  belong  to  the  mother’s  
brother  
•   The  inclusion  of  a  husband  in  the  household  is  less  important  
•  Women  usually  have  higher  status  
 
 Matrilineal  Descent  Group  
o Found  among  15%  of  all  
cultures  
o Kinship  is  traced  through  
the  female  line  
o Women  control  land  and  
products  
o Found  in  Southeast  Asia,  
the  South  Pacific,  and  in  
some  parts  of  Europe  and  
North  America  
o Example:  The  
Minangkabau  of  Indonesia  
  
The  Minangkabau  of  Indonesia  
•  World’s  largest  matrilineal  culture  
•  Economy  based  mainly  on  rice  farming  
•  Some  men  and  women  work  in  cities  and  then  return  
home  
 The  Minangkabau  of  Indonesia  

•  Women  hold  power  through  control  of  lineage  land  

•  Submatrilineage  groups  of  adult  women  and  girls  live  
together  in  a  lineage  house  
•  Men  and  older  boys  often  live  separately  

•  In  the  household,  the  senior  woman  controls  the  power  

and  makes  all  decisions  
Minangkabau  
Region  in  
Indonesia  
 Bilineal  Descent  

•  Descent  is  traced  equally  from  both  parents  

•  Married  couples  live  away  from  their  parents  (neolocal  
residence)  
•  Inheritance  is  allocated  equally  among  all  children  regardless  
of  their  gender  
•  Found  in  foraging  and  industrial/  informatic  cultures  
•  Examples:    
•  Euro-­‐Americans    
•  Ju/’hoansi  
•  Innu  (Inuit)  
Two  Kinship  Naming  
Systems  
Kinship  through  Sharing  

In many cultures
people create
kinship through
sharing

Food sharing Adoption and

fostering
Godparents
 Marriage  
A  Working  Definition:  

•  Marriage  is  a  more  or  less  stable  union,  usually  

between  two  people  who  may  or  may  not  be  co-­‐
residential,  sexually  involved  with  each  other,  and  
procreative  with  each  other  (p.  200)  

 
 Marriage  

•  Criteria  for  defining  marriage  cross-­‐culturally:  

•  Numbers  of  people  involved  
•  Gender/sexual  orientation  of  people  involved  

 
 Marriage  
•  Functions  of  Marriage:  
•  Regulates  sexual  access  
•  Creates  a  family  
•  Expands  social  groups  
•  legitimacy  of  children  
•  Shared  property  
•  Co-­‐residence  

 
The  Range  of  Cultural  Preferences  for  
Spouse/Partner  Selection  

•  Kinship  

•  Location  

•  Ethnicity  

•  Status/economic  position  

•  Appearance  (beauty,  height,  FGC…)  

•  Physical  ability  

•  Romantic  love  
  Who can  we marry?  

Exogamy:  
 

•  Rules  specifying  that  a  person  must  marry  outside  a  particular  

group  
•  Almost  universal  within  the  primary  family  group  
•  Leads  to  alliances  between  different  families  and  groups  
 
  Who can  we marry?  
 

Endogamy:  

•  Rules  that  marriage  must  be  within  a  particular  group.  

•  In  India,  the  caste  is  an  endogamous  group.  
•  In  the  U.S.,  social  classes  tend  to  be  endogamous  
Status  Considerations  in  Partner  
Selection  (Heterosexual  Pairing)  
 Who  can  we  marry?  
One  universal  in  marriage  rules  is  incest  taboos:  
•  Prohibit  sexual  relations  between  relatives  
•  Universal  to  most  cultures  
•  Avoids  inbreeding  
•  Prevents  disruption  in  the  nuclear  family  
•  Directs  sexual  desires  outside  the  family  
•  Forces  people  to  marry  outside  the  family  and  create  a  larger  
social  community  
•  Exceptions:  
•  Brother-­‐sister  marriages  among  elites  
 Cousin  Marriage  
•  Forbidden  in  some  cultures  

•  Preferred  in  some  cultures  

•  Various  definitions  of  what  is  a  cousin  
•  Various  patterns  of  preference    
•  For  cousins  on  which  “side”  of  the  family  
(mother’s  or  father’s)  
•  For  cross-­‐cousins  or  parallel  cousins  
 Cousin  Marriage  
Preferential  marriage  rules:  

•  Rules  about  the  preferred  categories  of  relatives  for  marriage  

partners:  
•  Cross  cousins  
 The  children  of  a  parent’s  siblings  of  the  opposite  sex  
(mother’s  brothers,  father’s  sisters)  
 Cousin  Marriage  
Preferential  marriage  rules:  
•  Parallel  cousins    
•  The  children  of  a  parent’s  same-­‐sex  siblings  (mother’s  
sisters,  father’s  brothers)  
Cross  Cousins  and  Parallel  Cousins  
South  India:  
Cousin  Marriage  
Highly  Preferred  
 Getting  Married  
•  Often  involves  a  series  of  gift/monetary  
exchanges  between  the  bride’s  and  groom’s  
family  

•  The  wedding:  Ranges  from  very  simple  to  

highly  elaborate  and  expensive  
•  Weddings  “crystallize”  and  highlight  cultural  
meanings  of  the  marital  relationship  and  gender  
roles  
 Exchange  of    Goods  in  Marriage  
•  Primary  rights  of  marriage:  
•  Sexual  access  to  spouse  
•  Rights  over  children  born  to  wife  
•  Obligation  by  one  or  both  parent  to  care  for  children  
•  Rights  of  husband  and  wife  to  the  economic  services  of  the  other  
 Exchange  of    Goods  in  Marriage  

•  Three  primary  modes  of  exchange  in  marriage:  

•  Bride  service:  The  husband  must  work  for  a  specified  period  of  time  
for  his  wife’s  family  in  exchange  for  his  marital  rights  
•  Bridewealth:  Cash  or    goods  are  given  by  the  groom’s  kin  to  the  
bride’s  kin  to  seal  a  marriage.  The  most  common  of  exchanges  
•  Dowry:  A  presentation  of  goods  by  the  bride’s  kin  to  the  groom’s.  
Less  common  than  other  exchanges  
Major  Types  of  Marriage  
Exchanges  
 Who  can  we  marry?  
Number  of  spouses  
•  All  societies  have  rules  about  how  many  spouses  a  person  can  have  
at  one  time  
•  Monogamy  is  the  norm  only  in  Europe  and  north  America  
•  75%  of  the  world’s  societies  prefer  plural  marriage  
 
 
 Who  can  we  marry?  
 
Monogamy:  A  rule  permitting  only  one  spouse  

Polygymy:  
•  A  rule  allowing  more  than  one  spouse  
•  Polygyny  
•  A  rule  permitting  a  man  to  have  more  than  one  wife  at  a  time  
•  Polyandry  
•  A  rule  permitting  a  woman  to  have  more  than  one  husband  at  a  time  
•  What  would  be  the  benefits  of  each  of  these  systems?  
 
 Rules  of  Residence  
•  Patrilocal  residence    -­‐  a  woman  lives  with  her  husband’s  family  
after  marriage  

•  Matrilocal  residence    -­‐  a  man  lives  in  the  household  of  his  wife’s  
family  

•  Avunculocal  residence    -­‐  a  married  couple  is  expected  to  live  

with  the  husband’s  mother’s  brother  

•  If  a  couple  can  choose  between  living  with  either  the  wife’s  or  
the  husband’s  family,  the  pattern  is  called  bilocal  residence  
 Family  versus  Household  

•  A  family  is  a  group  of  people  who  consider  

themselves  related  by  kinship  

•  A  household  is  a  person  or  persons  who  live  

together  and  may  or  may  not  be  related  by  
kinship  

•  Both  terms  are  important  in  anthropology  

 Families  
•  Anthropologists  identify  two  basic  types  of  families:  
1.  Nuclear  families-­‐  organized  around  the  relationship  
between  husband  and  wife  
2.  Extended  family-­‐  based  on  consanguineal,  or  blood,  
relations  extending  over  three  or  more  generations  
3.  There  are  a  number  of  exceptions  now,  including  single-­‐
parent  and  blended  families  

Does  your  family  follow  one  of  these  traditional  patterns?  Will  
you  have  the  same  pattern  as  your  parents?    
 Nuclear  Household  
•  Common  worldwide  but  not  universally  the  
preferred  form  

•  Found  among  foragers  and  industrial/

informatics  groups  

•  Classic  Nacirema  household  type,  though  on  

the  decline  as  the  number  of  single-­‐person  
households  increases  
 Extended  Household  
•  More  common  among  horticulturalists,  
pastoralists,  and  agriculturalists  
•  Related  to  fixed  economic  base/property  
•  May  be  extended  vertically  through  parents  
and  sons/daughters  or  horizontally  through  
siblings  
•  Provides  safety  net  for  child  care  and  old  age  
support  
Intrahousehold  Dynamics  

•  Spouse/partner  relationships  
•  Marital  satisfaction  differs  in  love  matches  and  
arranged  marriages  

•  Sibling  relationships  
•  Example  of  brother-­‐sister  relationship  in  Beirut,  
Lebanon  
•  Read  the  ethnographic  example  in  the  text  
 Domestic  Life  

•  What  happens  inside  the  household:  

•  Work  
•  Reproduction  
•  Care,  love  
•  Leisure,  fun  
•  Other….not  such  good  news  
 Domestic  Violence  

•  Found  in  most  but  not  all  cultures  and  in  differing  
degrees:    

•  Child  abuse  

•  Honor  killings  

•  Wife/partner  abuse:  Male  violence  against  females  

•  More  common  where  men  control  wealth/
property  and  women  are  dependent  on  them    
 Ethnography  for  Preventing  Wife  Abuse  in  
Rural  Kentucky  

•  Highest  rate  of  reported  domestic  violence  in  

U.S.  

•  Ethnographic  study  revealed  cultural  factors  

•  Physical  isolation  
•  Social  isolation  
•  Institutional  isolation  

•  Food  for  Thought:  How  do  conditions  in  

Kentucky  differ  from  or  resemble  those  in  
another  cultural  context  where  wife  beating  is  
frequent?