Marriage and Family

Question 1

Anthropological definition of marriage

Answer 1

Culturally defined relationship between a man and a woman from different families, which regulates sexual intercourse and provides for reproduction.

Question 2

What is an endogamous marriage?

Answer 2

Marrying withing your group, Usually limited to religion

Question 3

What is an exogamous marriage?

Answer 3

Marrying outside your group

Question 3

What is a monogamous marriage?

Answer 3

A marriage containing only one spouse at a time

Question 4

What is Polygyny?

Answer 4

One man with several wives

Question 5

What is Group Marriage?

Answer 5

Several men and several women married to each other

Question 5

What is Polyandry

Answer 5

One woman with several husbands

Question 6

What is polygamy

Answer 6

Polygyny and Polyandry (multiple spouses)

Question 7

Why do some groups prefer polygamous marriages?

Answer 7

Unbalanced sex ratio within the group

Multiple spouses are a source of wealth

Economic and Social benefits

Question 7

Why do some groups prefer monogamous marriages?

Answer 7

Balanced sex ratio within the society

Wage Labour

Religious or Legally sanctioned

Question 8

What is Brideprice, and which group is it common among.

Answer 8

In exchange for a spouse, the future husband and his family will compensate the bride’s family with material goods

This is common among Horticulturalists and Pastoralists

Question 8

What is Post-Marital Exchanges? And what are types of it?

Answer 8

Defined: Providing an exchange for someone’s daughter

1. Brideservice

2.Brideprice

3.Dowry System

4.Gift Exchange

5. Sister exchange or daughter exchange

Question 9

What is Brideservice? Which kind of group is this common among?

Answer 9

In exchange for the loss of the daughter, the future husband will provide a service for the bride’s family

Common among Foragers

Question 10

What is the Dowry System? what group is this most common among?

Answer 10

The bride will receive part of her inheritance in advance to contribute to her new family (Could be money, furniture, livestock, etc)

In western society we see this since it’s common for the bride’s family to pay for the wedding

Daughters with bigger dowries get more potential suitors

Common among food producers

Question 10

What is Sister exchange/ Daughter exchange

Answer 10

Trade in a sibling to marry someone from the family you desire to marry into

Question 11

What is gift exchange ? What are two forms of it?

Answer 11

One form of exchange gives gifts to the bride and groom (Stuff to start a family/a new house)

Another form is the exchange of gifts between families of the bride and groom

Question 12

What is patrilocal?

Answer 12

The couple lives with the groom’s family

Question 13

What is matrilocal?

Answer 13

The couple lives with the bride’s family

Question 14

What is the importance of post-marital residence?

Answer 14

A question of inheritance really

Land being passed on, etc

Means they always will have people to look after them

Question 15

What is neolocal?

Answer 15

The couple lives independently of their families

Question 16

What is Ambilocal?

Answer 16

The couple has the choice between Matrilocal (Living with Bride’s family) or Patrilocal (Living with Groom’s family)

Question 17

What is Kinship ?

Answer 17

Refers to the relationships that are based on blood (Consanguineal relatives) or marriage (Affinal relatives)

Question 17

What is Bilocal? Which group is it most common among?

Answer 17

The married couple can choose between Matrilocal or Patrilocal but doesn’t have to be permanent

Question 18

Consanguineal meaning

Answer 18

Relative by blood, share ancestors, etc

Question 18

What is Avunculocal?

Answer 18

The couple lives with the groom’s mother’s brother.

Question 19

What are functions of Kinship and what do they do?

Answer 19

Vertical Function of kinship provides social continuity by binding together a number of successive generations
-Used to pass on education, tradition, poverty, and political office

Horizontal Function of kinship tens to solidify or tie together a society through the process of marriage
-Used to form alliances with other kinship groups

Question 19

What does Kinship determine?

Answer 19

Kinship determines lines of inheritance

Kinship determines social obligation

Kinship determines potential marriage partners

Kin play important economic, social, political and religious roles in most societies

Question 20

Affinal definition

Answer 20

Relative by marriage, in-laws, spouse, step siblings, etc

Question 20

What is Descent? What are the two other types of it?

Answer 20

Descent is the tracing of kinship relations through birth or relations with a parent or parents

1) Unilineal descent is a kinship system where the child is related by descent to only one parent (mother or father)

2) Bilineal Descent is a kinship system where the child is related by decent to both parents.

Question 21

What is kinship terminology?

Answer 21

Kinship terminology refers to kin terms used to describe biological and/or social relationships

(Aunt, son, grandma, etc)