Marriage, Descent, and Social Relationships

Vocabulary flashcards covering marriage systems, cultural practices, and anthropological perspectives on descent and social relationships.

Marriage as a social institution

The understanding that marriage rules and expectations vary across cultures and can create ties between families, lineages, or communities, not only between two individuals.

Arranged marriage

A marriage in which families or other social networks help identify or negotiate a match. Practices vary widely, and it does not automatically mean the people marrying have no say.

Monogamy

A marriage system in which a person has one spouse at a time.

Polygyny

A marriage system in which one man has more than one wife at the same time.

Polyandry

A marriage system in which one woman has more than one husband at the same time.

Levirate

A custom in some societies in which a widow may marry her deceased husband's brother or another male relative. The purpose and rules vary by culture.

Anthropological takeaway on marriage

Marriage, divorce, residence, inheritance, and kinship are culturally patterned; therefore, one should avoid assuming that the expectations common in the United States are universal.