A cross-cultural study of female initiation rites

American Anthropologist Vol/Iss. 65 American Anthropological Association Published In Pages: 837-853
By Brown, Judith K.

Hypothesis

The presence of female initiation rites will be associated with societies in which females make a significant contribution to subsistence activities

Note

A significant female contribution to subsistence activities occurs when the relative contribution of women is above the median (849). Support for this hypothesis suggests that "when women make a notable contribution to the subsistence activities of their society, female initiation rites are celebrated to assure the competence of the young girl (849)."

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Chi-squareSupportedp < .05UNKNOWNUNKNOWN