7. Marriage & Family

Question 1

Joint family / extended family?

Answer 1

Affinal kin (related by marriage) will love together with
Conseaguineal kin (related through blood)

Question 2

Define marriage?

Answer 2

1. Sexual relation between partner (Doesn’t exclude sexual relationships with others)
2. Regulation of sexual division of labor, some are biological (childbirth and nursing) but many are cultural norms
3. Support and legitimacy of children, an environment that supports child development, and legitimate heirs to family property.

Question 3

How does anthologists see marriage? (exchange)

Answer 3

Marriage can be seen as a partnership between two families who join together in a relationship based on exchange.

Survival and mutual support by sharing resources.

Question 4

Families of orientation?

Answer 4

Blood-related members

Question 5

Family of procreation?

Answer 5

Family unit created by marriage or partnership, including children

Question 6

Serial monogamy?

Answer 6

Marriage to one partner at the time, in a succession of partner

Question 7

Why do we have monogamy in Western societies?

Answer 7

Settlers and colonizers imposed strict catholic rules, probation again divorce, multiple spouses and adoption

Monogamy works best in societies with independence training.

Question 8

Polygamy?

Answer 8

Marriage practice of having two or more spouses

Question 9

Group marriage?

Answer 9

Multiple spouses of each sex

Question 10

Polygyny? + Biocultural perspektive

Answer 10

Having two or more wives at the same time

Biocultural perspective, many women allow the family to grow quickly through pregnancy

Many men die of violence so there might be a surplus of women

Women are often mistreated and viewed as property in these societies.

Question 11

Polyandry? when beneficial?

Answer 11

The women take two or more husbands

Less common but can be beneficial when limits of population growth help the group to survival

Question 12

Fraternal polyandry?

Answer 12

Women may marry brothers to keep their landholdings intact.

Question 13

Exogamy? why good socially and bioculturally

Answer 13

Marriage partners must come from different groups

Socially, linking people from different communities creating alliances

Biocultural, more genetic diversity -> limits interbreeding

Question 14

Endogamy? Seen in what society+ consequences

Answer 14

Require marriage partners to be from the same social group

Seen in societies with strong ethnic, religious, or socio-economic class divisions

Serve to maintain a homogenous group, but reduce genetic diversity

Question 15

Incest taboo? + why a cultural universal (Westermark effect)

Answer 15

Prohibition against sexual relationships with the immediate family

Question 16

Why is insect taboo a universal? (Psycological, social, political and biological)

Answer 16

Westermark effect, children who are raised together early develop sexual attraction

“Role Confusion” undermines successful social interaction

Forcing people to seek partners outside the family creates social, economic stability and political alliances

Loss in genetic diversity, higher potential for genetic diseases

Question 17

Household?

Answer 17

Domestic unit of residence, not necessarily a family unit

Question 18

Nuclear family?

Answer 18

One or two generations living together. A conjugal couple, or parents and kids

Question 19

Neolocal?

Answer 19

Residence pattern in which a husband and wife move to their own household after marriage.
The least common residence type in the world most common is extended family.

Question 20

Matrilocal residence?

Answer 20

Husbands join their wives families of orientation

Common where land is held by the women family

Question 21

Patrilocal residence?

Answer 21

Wives join their husband’s families of orientation

Most common residence pattern

Question 22

Marriage compensation?

Answer 22

Gifts or services exchange between the families of the bride and groom

Depends on the cultural context: Who is losing a family member and who is gaining one?

Question 23

Bride price?

Answer 23

Form of marriage compensation in which the family of the groom is required to present gifts to the wives family (patrilocal residence)

Question 24

Bride service?

Answer 24

Form of marriage compensation in which the family of the groom is required to work for the brides family (patrilocal residence)

Question 25

Dowry?

Answer 25

Gifts or money or goods from the bride’s family to the groom to compensate for the loss of their son

Also given in neolocal societies, to help the new couple start their household

Also in patrilocal societies, due to cultural values that encourage families to marry their daughters into a higher class

Question 26

Dowry death?

Answer 26

Death of women who live in the home of their in-laws due to unmet dowry demands

Question 27

Arranged marriage?

Answer 27

Parents find a suitable husband or wife for their child. The norm for most of human history.

Question 28

Kinship? Provide structure for?

Answer 28

Family relations, involves a complex set of expectations and responsibilities

Provide structure for:
Regulating sexual activity
Raise children
Divide labor

Question 29

Fictive kinship?

Answer 29

“Family” of unrelated individuals who have family-like bonds. Referring to each other as brothers or sisters

Question 30

Nurture kinship?

Answer 30

Non-blood relationships based on mutual caring and attachment. Example a mentor and a mentee

Question 31

Queer kinship?

Answer 31

Family-like bonds between members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Question 32

Descent group? + Partilineal & Matrilinal

Answer 32

Tracing one’s descent along one family line

P: Fathers
m: Mothers

Question 33

Bilateral descent?

Answer 33

Trace genealogy through both the mother’s and father’s lines