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Chapter 10Marriage and the Family : 

Chapter 10Marriage and the Family Marriage Why Is Marriage Universal? How Does One Marry? Restrictions on Marriage: The Universal Incest Taboo Whom Should One Marry? How Many Does One Marry? The Family

Marriage : 

Marriage Marriage merely means a socially approved sexual and economic union, usually between a man and a woman. More or less permanent (at least in theory)

Rare types of marriage : 

Rare types of marriage Some societies recognize marriages between persons of the same biological sex. Cheyenne Indians = berdache Azande of Africa = ‘boy wives’ Nandi of Kenya = female/female (3%)

Why Is Marriage Universal? : 

Why Is Marriage Universal? Gender Division of Labor Prolonged Infant Dependency Sexual Competition Other Mammals and Birds: Postpartum Requirements

Gender Division of Labor : 

Gender Division of Labor Universal division of labor by age and gender A mechanism for women and men share the products of their labor What other ways besides marriage might this occur?

Prolonged Infant Dependency : 

Prolonged Infant Dependency Humans have the longest period of infant dependency of any primate. Greatest burden on mother which may limit the kinds of work they do (child-care compatibility theory) What other ways besides marriage might this occur?

Sexual Competition : 

Sexual Competition Unlike other female primates, the human female can engage in intercourse at any time during the year. Marriage reduces or deals with the competition of males for females. Does continuous female sexuality make for more sexual competition? Does the human capacity for feelings such as jealousy make a difference?

Other Mammals and Birds: Postpartum Requirements : 

Other Mammals and Birds: Postpartum Requirements How can evidence from other animals help us evaluate theories about human marriage? Some species of birds, wolves, beavers have a type of ‘marriage’ When females of an animal species can feed themselves and their babies tend not to have stable matings. Hadza of Tanzania caloric contributions of females decreases substantially when nursing.

How Does One Marry? : 

How Does One Marry? Some societies mark marriages by elaborate rites and celebrations, while others do so in much more informal ways.

Marking the Onset of Marriage : 

Marking the Onset of Marriage Ceremonies common Inuit and Trobriand Islanders Inuit: arranged by parents before puberty Trobriand Islanders: sleep together regularly, showing themselves in public, and remaining with each other for long periods and gift giving

Economic Aspects of Marriage : 

Economic Aspects of Marriage “It’s not man that marries maid, but field marries field, vineyard marries vineyard, cattle marry cattle” 75% of societies known to anthropology, one or more explicit economic transactions takes place before or after the marriage.

How Does One Marry? : 

How Does One Marry? Bride Price: a gift of money or goods from the groom (or his kin) to the bride’s kin. Bride Service: groom works for bride’s family Exchange of Females: relative of groom is exchanged for the bride Gift Exchange: exchange of gifts of equal value between kin of groom and bride Dowry: substantial transfer of goods or money from bride’s family to bride, groom, or both Indirect Dowry: goods given to the bride’s family to be passed on

Figure 10.1 (p. 165)Distribution of Economic Marriage Transactions Among Societies That Have Them.Note that there are societies in the ethnographic record (25 percent) that lack any substantial economic transactions at marriage.Source: Based on data from Alice Schlegel and Rohn Eloul, “Marriage Transactions: Labor, Property, and Status,” American Anthropologist, 90 (1988): 291-309. : 

Figure 10.1 (p. 165)Distribution of Economic Marriage Transactions Among Societies That Have Them.Note that there are societies in the ethnographic record (25 percent) that lack any substantial economic transactions at marriage.Source: Based on data from Alice Schlegel and Rohn Eloul, “Marriage Transactions: Labor, Property, and Status,” American Anthropologist, 90 (1988): 291-309.

Restrictions on Marriage:The Universal Incest Taboo : 

Restrictions on Marriage:The Universal Incest Taboo Perhaps the most rigid regulation specifying whom one may or may not marry is the incest taboo.

Restrictions on Marriage:The Universal Incest Taboo : 

Restrictions on Marriage:The Universal Incest Taboo Why is the familial incest taboo universal? Childhood-Familiarity Theory Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory Family-Disruption Theory Cooperation Theory Inbreeding Theory

Whom Should One Marry? : 

Whom Should One Marry? Arranged Marriages Exogamy and Endogamy Cousin Marriages Levirate and Sororate

Figure 10-2 (p. 172)Cross-Cousin and Parallel CousinsAnthropologists use symbols to represent kinship relationships. A triangle represents a male; a circle a female; an “=“ sign a marriage; a vertical line “the children of”; and a horizontal connector for siblings. Often there is a focus of the diagram (an “ego”) designated by a square. The rectangle in the figure surrounds a nuclear family unit consisting of ego, ego’s two siblings—a brother (15) and sister (16), and the parents (5 and 6—5 is the father of ego and 6 is the mother). Ego’s cousins (as well as the cousins of ego’s siblings are 11-14 on the father’s side of the family and 17-20 on the mother’s side of the family. Also shown are the father’s and mother’s brothers and sisters and their spouses. To consider which cousins are parallel cousins and which are cross-cousins, let us look at the links between ego and the cousins. If the link is the same sex (i.e., through mother’s sister or father’s brother), we call the cousins “parallel cousins,.” In the diagram ego’s parallel cousins are 13, 14, 17, and 18. Cross-cousins are linked through the opposite sex. So ego’s cross-cousins would be father’s sister’s children (11, 12) or mother’s brother’s children (19, 20). To specify which parallel or cross-cousins we are referring to, we can use the terms “matrilateral (mother’s side)” or “patrilateral (father’s side).” : 

Figure 10-2 (p. 172)Cross-Cousin and Parallel CousinsAnthropologists use symbols to represent kinship relationships. A triangle represents a male; a circle a female; an “=“ sign a marriage; a vertical line “the children of”; and a horizontal connector for siblings. Often there is a focus of the diagram (an “ego”) designated by a square. The rectangle in the figure surrounds a nuclear family unit consisting of ego, ego’s two siblings—a brother (15) and sister (16), and the parents (5 and 6—5 is the father of ego and 6 is the mother). Ego’s cousins (as well as the cousins of ego’s siblings are 11-14 on the father’s side of the family and 17-20 on the mother’s side of the family. Also shown are the father’s and mother’s brothers and sisters and their spouses. To consider which cousins are parallel cousins and which are cross-cousins, let us look at the links between ego and the cousins. If the link is the same sex (i.e., through mother’s sister or father’s brother), we call the cousins “parallel cousins,.” In the diagram ego’s parallel cousins are 13, 14, 17, and 18. Cross-cousins are linked through the opposite sex. So ego’s cross-cousins would be father’s sister’s children (11, 12) or mother’s brother’s children (19, 20). To specify which parallel or cross-cousins we are referring to, we can use the terms “matrilateral (mother’s side)” or “patrilateral (father’s side).”

Figure 10-2 (p. 172)Cross-Cousin and Parallel CousinsDetail : 

Figure 10-2 (p. 172)Cross-Cousin and Parallel CousinsDetail

How Many Does One Marry? : 

How Many Does One Marry? We think of marriage as involving just one man and one woman at a time, but most societies allow a man to be married to more than one woman at a time. Monogamy Polygamy

Table 10-1 (p. 173)Four Possible Forms of Marriage ? represents male, O, female, and =, marriage. : 

Table 10-1 (p. 173)Four Possible Forms of Marriage ? represents male, O, female, and =, marriage.

How Many Does One Marry? : 

How Many Does One Marry? Polygyny is a practice in which men are allowed to be married to more than one woman at the same time. Sororal Polygyny Nonsororal Polygyny

How Many Does One Marry? : 

How Many Does One Marry? Polyandry is a practice whereby one woman is allowed to be married to more than one man. Fraternal Polyandry Nonfraternal Polyandry

The Family : 

The Family Family is defined as a social and economic unit consisting minimally of one or more parents and their children. Variations in Family Form Extended-Family Households Possible Reasons for Extended-Family Households