Nuclear & Extended Families

A nuclear family is impermanent; it only lasts as long as parents and children are together.

In many industrialized nations, the nuclear family is the only well-defined kin group. Family isolation arises from the geographic mobility associated with industrialism. Neolocality: A postmarital residence pattern where married couples are expected to establish a new place of residence. In middle-class USA, neolocal residence is both culturally preferred and a statistical norm. But among lower-income Americans, the incidence of extended family households is greater. Adaptation to poverty?

Foraging societies also often feature geographic mobility. The nuclear family is often the most significant kin group. But it is not the only one; the band is the other basic social unit of traditional foraging societies. Foragers rarely reside neolocally. Usually a newly married couple will join a band in which either the husband or wife has relatives. Couples, however can move from one band to another. Many foraging societies lacked year-round band organization.

Descent groups are frequently exogamous. Two basic rules determine who can be a member. Patrilineal descent Matrilineal descent These are both unilineal descent Patrilineal descent is much more common than matrilineal descent (about 3 to 1). Descent groups may be lineages or clans. Both share the belief that members descend from an apical ancestor. How do they differ? A lineage uses demonstrated descent. Clans use stipulated descent. Many societies have both lineages and clans. In these cases, clans have more inclusive membership. A clan's apical ancestor does not have to even be human. Totems

Decent is on man/fathers side.

Decent is on woman/mother's side.

Patrilocality: Rule that newly married couples move to the husband's community. Matrilocality: Married couples live in the wife's community. Patrilocality and matrilocality serve to keep related men and women, respectively, together within the household.

social ties that are based on neither consanguinal (blood ties) nor affinal (\"by marriage\") ties, in contrast to true kinship ties.

.Exogamy: The practice of seeking a mate outsideone's own group. Links people into a wider social networkWhy would this be beneficial?

Sexual relations with a relative

While exogamy pushes social organizationoutward, the rules of endogamy dictate mating ormarriage within a group.Endogamic rules are less common, but do occur.Most cultures are endogamous units, though rarelyhave formal rules requiring people to marrysomeone from their own society.In our society, classes and ethnic groups are quasiendogamous.Members of an ethnic or religiousgroup often want their children to marry within thatgroup. Highly variable commitment to endogamy

An extreme example ofendogamy.Although officially abolishedin 1949, the structure andeffects of India's castesystem still linger.Castes are stratified groups whose membership is ascribed atbirth and is life-long. Five major ranked categories (varna).Each varna includes a large number of castes (jati) whosemembers can intermarry. All jati within a given region are alsoranked.

- Depending on the society, several rights areallocated by marriage. Some common ones are:- Establish the legal father of a woman's children and thelegal mother of a man's.- Give either or both spouses a monopoly in the sexuality ofthe other.- Give either or both spouses rights to the labor of the other. - Give either or both spouses rights over the other's property.- Establish a joint fund of property for the benefit of thechildren. -Establish a socially significant \"relationship of affinity\"between spouses and their relatives.What happens in the absence of these rights?

The group-alliance nature of marriage isexemplified by the continuation of marital allianceswhen a spouse dies. Sororate: In the event that the wife dies, her group willsupply the widower with another wife. Levirate: In the event the husband dies, the widow oftenmarries his brother. These practices allow the group alliance to bemaintained by replacing a spouse with anotherfrom the same group.

Bridewealth: A customary gift from the husband andhis kin before, at, or after the marriage to the wifeand her kin. Progeny price

Dowry: The wife's group provides substantial gifts to the husband's family. Occurs in societies where women have a low perceived social status.

Ease of divorce varies between cultures. What factors are involved? Marriages that are political alliances are more difficult to dissolve than those that are primarily individual affairs.Divorce tends to be common in matrilineal societies, especially with matrilocality. Hopi example: Matrilineal clans with matrilocal residence. Sons-in-law returned to their mother's homes for their clan's social and religious activities. High divorce rate

Marriage in industrial nations joins individuals (more so than groups). North Americans practice serial monogamy: only one spouse at a time.

Multiple wives

Mutliple husbands (quite rare)