Marriage and family structures are diverse across cultures, reflecting societal values and norms. From monogamy to polygamy, these unions establish rights and obligations between individuals, creating social, economic, and political ties. Cultural practices like bridewealth and dowry further shape marital dynamics.

Residence patterns after marriage, such as patrilocal or matrilocal, influence family structure and gender roles. Remarriage customs, including levirate and sororate marriages, maintain family alliances and support networks. These practices highlight the complex interplay between culture, economics, and kinship in shaping family systems worldwide.

Marriage and Family Structures

Anthropological definition of marriage

• Culturally sanctioned union establishing rights and obligations between two or more people
  • Involves social (kinship ties), economic (resource sharing), political (alliances), and sexual (reproduction) dimensions
  • Regulates sexual behavior, reproduction, and family formation within a society
  • Creates alliances and social bonds between individuals, families, and communities (clans, tribes)
• Exhibits wide cross-cultural variation in forms, practices, and meanings
  • Reflects cultural values, beliefs, and social structures
  • Adapts to changing social, economic, and political conditions over time

Cross-cultural marriage forms

• Monogamy involves marriage between two individuals
  • Legally and culturally dominant form in many Western societies (United States, Europe)
• Polygamy involves marriage with multiple spouses
  • Polygyny entails one man marrying multiple wives
    • Most common polygamous form across cultures (Islamic societies, sub-Saharan Africa)
    • Typically associated with patrilineal descent (tracing kinship through male line) and patrilocal residence (living with husband's family)
  • Polyandry entails one woman marrying multiple husbands
    • Relatively uncommon but practiced in some societies (Nyinba of Nepal, Toda of India)
    • Often linked to matrilineal descent (tracing kinship through female line) and matrilocal residence (living with wife's family)
• Group marriage involves multiple husbands and wives in a single marriage
  • Rare but documented in a few societies (Toda of India, historical Oneida community in New York)
• Same-sex marriage involves partners of the same gender
  • Legally recognized in some countries (United States, Canada, Australia) and gaining acceptance in many Western cultures
  • Historically practiced in some indigenous societies (Two-Spirit individuals in Native American cultures)
• Marriage rituals vary across cultures, reflecting local traditions and beliefs

Economics and symbolism of marriage compensations

• Bridewealth involves transfer of goods or money from groom's family to bride's family
  • Symbolizes value placed on bride and establishes alliance between families
  • Serves as social insurance for bride, providing economic support in case of divorce or widowhood
  • Can be a significant economic burden for groom's family (livestock, land, money)
• Dowry involves transfer of goods or money from bride's family to groom's family
  • Symbolizes value placed on groom and establishes alliance between families
  • Serves as inheritance for bride, providing economic resources in her marital household
  • Can be a significant economic burden for bride's family (jewelry, household items, money)
• Gift exchange involves reciprocal giving of goods between bride's and groom's families
  • Symbolizes establishment and maintenance of social ties and obligations between families
  • Can involve a wide range of items (food, clothing, livestock, jewelry)
• Marriage compensations have significant economic implications for families and communities
  • Can create or reinforce economic inequalities between families and social classes
  • Can influence marriage decisions and partner selection based on economic considerations
• These practices contribute to social stratification within societies

Marriage and residence pattern connections

• Patrilocal residence involves married couple living with or near husband's family
  • Commonly associated with patrilineal descent and polygyny
  • Strengthens husband's family ties and enables male control over economic resources (land, livestock)
  • Can limit women's autonomy and decision-making power in the household
• Matrilocal residence involves married couple living with or near wife's family
  • Commonly associated with matrilineal descent and polyandry
  • Strengthens wife's family ties and enables female control over economic resources (land, crops)
  • Can enhance women's status and decision-making power in the household
• Neolocal residence involves married couple establishing a new household independent of either family
  • Commonly associated with monogamy and nuclear family structure (parents and children)
  • Allows for greater individual autonomy and mobility, especially in industrial societies
  • Can weaken extended family ties and support networks
• Residence patterns shape family structure, gender roles, and resource distribution
  • Influence the organization of domestic labor and childcare responsibilities
  • Impact inheritance patterns and the transmission of property across generations

Cultural significance of remarriage

• Levirate marriage involves a widow marrying her deceased husband's brother
  • Maintains alliance between families and ensures support for widow and her children
  • Preserves patrilineal continuity by keeping children within the husband's lineage
  • Practiced in some African (Nuer) and Middle Eastern (ancient Israelites) societies
• Sororate marriage involves a widower marrying his deceased wife's sister
  • Maintains alliance between families and ensures support for widower and his children
  • Preserves matrilineal continuity by keeping children within the wife's lineage
  • Practiced in some indigenous South American (Yanomami) and African (Tswana) societies
• Ghost marriage involves a living person marrying a deceased person
  • Provides social and economic support for the deceased's family, especially parents
  • Ensures continuity of family line and fulfillment of filial duties to ancestors
  • Practiced in some Chinese and Sudanese Nuer societies, often involving a deceased bachelor
• Remarriage customs reflect cultural beliefs about family, kinship, and the afterlife
  • Emphasize the importance of maintaining family alliances and support networks
  • Prioritize the well-being of children and their integration into extended kin groups
  • Incorporate spiritual beliefs about ancestral ties and obligations to the deceased

Family Systems and Cultural Norms

• Family systems theory examines how family members interact and influence each other
• Cultural relativism encourages understanding family practices within their cultural context
• Gender roles within families vary across cultures and influence family dynamics
• Incest taboo is a near-universal prohibition against sexual relations between close relatives
• Divorce customs differ across cultures, reflecting local values and social norms