Sex, Marriage, and
Family
Part I
Trobrianders
To attract lovers,
young Trobriand men
and woman must look
as attractive and
seductive as possible.
 This woman’s beauty
has been enhanced
by face painting and
adornments given by
her father.

Primate Sexual Relations

Among primates, the human female is
unusual in her ability to engage in sexual
activity whether she is fertile or not.
– This capacity leads to the reinforcement of
social bonds between men and women but
also to conflicts over sex.

Sexual competition could be a source of
conflict if it were not regulated and
channeled into stable relationships that
are given social approval.
Visual Counterpoint
While homosexual behavior is absolutely condemned
in some societies, many others are indifferent about
such personal practices and openly tolerate individuals
who engage in homosexual activities.
 In some cultures certain prescribed male-to-male
sexual acts are part of male initiation rituals of all boys
to become respected adult men.

Marriage

The anthropological definition of marriage
is: a culturally sanctioned union between
two or more people that establishes
certain rights and obligations between the
people, between them and their children,
and between them and their in-laws.
Sexual and Marriage Practices
among the Nayar
The Nayar are one of many examples of sexually
permissive cultures.
 A landowning warrior caste, their estates are
held by corporations made up of kinsmen
related in the female line.
 These relatives live together in a household,
with the eldest male serving as manager.
 Traditionally, Nayar boys began military training
around age of 7, and were away from home for
significant stretches of time.

The Nayar: Three Traditional
Transactions
1.
Ritual Husband
– Shortly before a girl experienced her first
menstruation there was a ceremony that
joined her with a “ritual husband” in a
temporary union which did not necessarily
involve sexual relations.
The Nayar: Three Traditional
Transactions
2.
Visiting Husband
– When a young Nayar woman entered into a
continuing sexual liaison with a man approved by
her family.
– it became a formal relationship that required the
man to present her with gifts three times each year
until the relationship was terminated.
– The man could spend the nights with her, but had
no obligation to support her economically.
– The woman may have had such an arrangement
with more than one man at the same time.
The Nayar: Three Traditional
Transactions
3.
Acknowledging Paternity
–
When the woman became pregnant, one of the
men with whom she has a relationship must
acknowledge paternity by making gifts to the
woman and the midwife.
Kin Relations

Consanguineal kin: biologically related
relatives, commonly referred to as blood
relatives.

Affinal kin: people related through
marriage.
Question

____________ are relatives by birth, or
so-called "blood kin."
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Affinal kin
In laws
Conjugal kin
Kith and kin
Consanguineal kin
Question

Consanguineal kin are relatives by
birth, or so-called "blood kin."
Incest Taboo

Rules exist in every society to govern
sexuality and, just as marriage in its
various forms is found in every culture, so
is the incest taboo.

Incest taboo: the prohibition of sexual
contract between certain close relatives,
usually parent and child and sibling
relations at a minimum.
Incest Taboo

Anthropologists have long been fascinated by the
incest taboo and have proposed many explanations for
its cross-cultural existence and variation.
– Instinctive Horror: the simplest explanation, based on the
idea of ‘human nature’
– Biological Problems: argues that the incest taboo developed
in response to abnormal offspring born from incestuous
unions.
– Attempt and Contempt: argues that the incest taboo
originated to direct sexual feelings away from one’s family to
avoid disrupting the family structure and relations.
– Marry out or Die out: a more accepted argument is that the
taboo originated to ensure exogamy.
Question

Although the incest taboo is
A. not found in all societies, anthropologists can
satisfactorily explain its occurrence.
B. found in some form in all societies, anthropologists do
not have completely satisfactory explanations for its
occurrence.
C. found in some form in all societies, it sometimes does
not include restrictions on sexual relations between
parents and children of the opposite sex.
D. not found in all societies, it always includes
restrictions on sexual relations between parents and
children of the opposite sex.
Question

Although the incest taboo is found in
some form in all societies,
anthropologists do not have completely
satisfactory explanations for its
occurrence.
Endogamy and Exogamy

Endogamy: marriage within a particular
group or category of individuals.

Exogamy: marriage outside the group.

Endogamy and exogamy may operate in a
single society, but do not apply to the
same social unit.
Claude Levi-Strauss
Claude Levi-Strauss saw exogamy as a form
of inter-group social exchange in which “wifegiving” and “wife-taking” created social
networks and alliances between distinct
communities.
 Building on this theory, other anthropologists
have proposed that exogamy is an important
means of building and maintaining political
alliances and promoting trade between
groups.

Question

Marriage within a particular group of
individuals is called
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
incest.
exogamy.
monogamy.
endogamy.
polygamy.
Answer: D

Marriage within a particular group of
individuals is called endogamy.
Distinction Between
Marriage and Mating
Marriage, in its many forms, provides
structure that helps control conflicts.
 Mates are secured and held solely through
personal effort and mutual consent.
 Marriage is a culturally recognized right
and is backed by social, political, and
ideological factors that regulate sexual
relations and reproductive rights and
obligations.

Question

While mating is biological, marriage
is _______________.
Question

While mating is biological, marriage is
cultural.