Chapter 8
Marriages and Families
Chapter Outline






Some Definitions
Marriage
Marriage in Comparative Perspective
Kinship Diagrams
Postmarital Residence Patterns
Family and Household Forms
Definitions

Consanguines
 People related by birth.

Affines
 People related by marriage.
Definitions



Kin group
 People who view themselves as relatives,
share an identity based on their kin ties, and
cooperate in certain kinds of activities.
Nuclear family
 A married couple and their children.
Extended family
 A group of related nuclear families.
Definitions


Household
 People who live together, share family wealth
and property, rely on one another for
emotional support, pool labor and resources
to support the family and live together.
Fictive kinship
 Incorporating unrelated people into a family
and household, feeling toward them in the
same way as consanguineous relatives.
Defining Marriage


A culturally defined relationship between a
man and a woman from different families,
which regulates sexual intercourse and
provides for reproduction.
A division of labor in the domestic group.
Defining Marriage


A set of rights the couple and their
families obtain over each other, including
rights over any children.
An assignment of responsibility for
enculturation to the spouses or to one or
both sets of their relatives.
Functions of Marriage
1.
2.
3.
Forms the social bonds and relationships
that provide for material needs, support
and enculturation of children.
Defines the obligations the couple have
toward each other and toward other
people.
Creates new relationships between
families and other kinds of kin groups.
Incest Taboo

Universal rule against members of the
same family having sex, marrying or
producing children.
Exogamous Rules

Marriage rules prohibiting individuals
from marrying a member of their own
social group or category.
Endogamous Rules

Marriage rules requiring individuals to
marry some member of their own social
group or category.
How Many Spouses?



Monogamy - one spouse.
Polygamy - Plural spouses.
 Polygyny - one man with multiple wives
(allowed in most societies of the world).
 Polyandry - one woman with multiple
husbands (rare).
Group Marriage - several men and women are
married simultaneously to one another.
Marriage Alliance



A marriage that establishes an alliance
between members of two kin groups.
Levirate - Custom whereby a widow
marries a male relative of her deceased
husband.
Sororate - Custom where by a widower
marries a female relative of his deceased
wife.
Marital Exchanges



Bridewealth - man and his relatives
transfer wealth to relatives of the bride.
Brideservice - husband spends a period
of time working for the family of his bride.
Dowry - family of a woman transfers a
portion of their wealth or property to their
daughter and her husband.
Kinship Diagrams
Kinship Diagrams
Postmarital Residence


Influenced by inheritance patterns and
economic forces.
Influences which kinship relationships will
be most emphasized in a society.
Residence Patterns



Postmarital residence pattern
 Where a newly married couple go to live after
their marriage.
Patrilocal residence
 Couples live with or near the husband's
parents.
Matrilocal residence
 Couples live with or near the wife's parents.
Residence Patterns


Ambilocal residence
 Postmarital residence is optional between
either the wife’s or the husband’s kin.
Bilocal residence
 Postmarital residence is with either the wife's
or the husband's parents according to choice.
Residence Patterns


Neolocal residence
 Couples establish a separate
household apart from both the husband
and wife's parents.
Avunculocal residence
 Couples live with the maternal uncle of
the husband.
Family and Household Forms


Two-Generation Households
 Households made up of parents and
children
Extended Households
 Households that include three or more
generations
Matrifocal Family

A family in which the mother (with or
without a husband) bears most of the
burden of supporting her children
economically and nurturing them
emotionally and intellectually.
Quick Quiz
1. Marriage:
a)
b)
c)
d)
can create important political alliances
among affines
can sometimes continue even after death
can occur with individuals who have
never met
all of the above
Answer: d

Marriage can create important political
alliances among affines, can
sometimes continue even after death
and can occur with individuals who
have never met.
2. What postmarital residence pattern
would it be if the couple lives with or near
the wife’s parents?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Patrilocal
Matrilocal
Bilocal
Avunculocal
Answer: b

A matrilocal postmarital residence
pattern is when the couple lives with or
near the wife’s family.
3. The set of rules prohibiting marriage
within his/her group is called:
a)
b)
c)
d)
endogamy
a caste
exogamy
polyandry
Answer: c

The set of rules prohibiting marriage
within her/her group is called exogamy.