Here comes the bride…..and a family! Chapter 16 Pages 444-446

What is a family? Difficult to define due to its complex and varied structure globally No one element of family is consistent across the globe Polygyny: more than one wife Polyandry: more than one husband Various cultures have different practices Example: Banaro of New Guinea. A woman must give birth to a child before she can marry and she can not marry the father of her first born

What is a family? Official definition: two or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption Household: people who occupy the same housing unit

What is a family? Nuclear family: husband, wife, and children Extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins Family of orientation: family in which an individual grows up in Family of procreation: the family formed when a couple have their first child

Marriage Marriage: a group’s approved mating arrangements—usually marked by a ritual of some sort to indicate the couple’s new status Marriage ceremonies differ greatly from culture to culture Many practices in marriage ceremonies today are symbolic and have roots in history

Common Cultural Themes Norms of mate selection: Who marries whom? Endogamy: marriage within one’s own group Exogamy: marriage outside one’s own group Informal norms influence this in the US Patterns of decent: Bilateral: related to both parents Patrilineal: related to only father’s side Matrilineal: related to only mother’s side

Common Cultural Themes Rights of inheritance usually follow the patterns of decent Patterns of authority: Patriarchy: men dominate the women Matriarchy: women dominate the men Egalitarian: equal power between male and female