The causes of matrilocal residence: a cross-ethnohistorical survey

State University of New York at Buffalo • Buffalo • Published In • Pages: 432 •
By Divale, William Tulio

Abstract

Author proposes and presents evidence in support of the theory that most societies practice virilocal or patrilocal residence (this is the "normal" pattern" and that matrilocal residence is adopted when societies migrate to an already populated area.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Ethnographic Reports

Hypotheses (20)

HypothesisSupported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence should be correlated with houses that have larger living floor areas than houses where avunculocal or patrilocal residence is practiced" (299)Supported
". . . recent migrations should tend to be uxorilocal-patrilocal or unorilocal-bilateral while older migrants should be avunculocal or patrilocal" (292-293)Supported
"The recency of past migration should be correlated with the degree of external warfare engaged in by a society" (294)Supported
"The recency of past migration should be correlated with the frequency of external warfare engaged in by a society" (295)Supported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence should be correlated with external warfare while avunculocal or patrilocal residence should be correlated with internal warfare" (297)Supported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence should be correlated with frequent external warfare while avunculocal or patrilocal residence should be correlated with less frequent external warfare" (297)Supported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence should be correlated with an absence of feuding within the local community while avunculocal or patrilocal residence should be correlated with frequent feuding" (298)Supported
Uxorilocal and matrilocal residence should be correlated with community men's houses while they should be absent with avunculocal or patrilocal residence" (299)Supported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence should be correlated with a higher degree of local exogamy for males than is found with avunculocal or patrilocal residence" (300)Supported
"External warfare should be correlated with an absence or only infrequent occurrence of feuding while internal warfare should be correlated with frequent feuding"Supported
"External warfare should be correlated with the presence of men's houses while they should be absent when warfare is internal" (301)Supported
"External warfare should be correlated with houses that have larger living floor areas while internal warfare should be associated with smaller floor areas" (302)Supported
"Frequent external warfare should be correlated with houses that have larger living floor areas than when external warfare is infrequent" (304)Supported
"Frequent external warfare should be correlated with a higher degree of male exogamy than when external warfare is infrequent" (304)Supported
"When feuding is absent or infrequent, men's houses will tend to be present while they should be absent when feuding is frequent" (305)Not Supported
"When feuding is absent or infrequent houses should tend to have larger living floor areas than when feuding is frequent" (306)Supported
"A high degree of local male exogamy should be correlated with the presence of men's houses while men's houses should be absent when males are locally endogamous" (309)Supported
"A high degree of male exogamy should be correlated with larger living floor areas than when males are locally endogamous" (309)Supported
"When females make a relatively greater contribution to basic subsistence residence will tend to be uxorilocal or matrilocal, but residence will tend to be virilocal or patrilocal when females make a lesser contribution to subsistence" (63)Not Supported
"Uxorilocal or matrilocal residence and/or matrilineal descent should tend to be correlated with lower levels of cultural complexity than virilocal or patrilocal residence and/or patrilineal descent" (62)Not Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: mas