Painful Female Initiation Rites

Associated Documents (2)

Main AuthorPublished YearTitle
Brown, Judith K.A cross-cultural study of female initiation rites
Textor, Robert B. A Cross-Cultural Summary: Female Initiation Rites

Associated Hypotheses (5)

Main AuthorHypothesis
Brown, Judith K.Societies with male initiation involving both genital operation and isolation are positively associated with painful initiation rites for females.
Brown, Judith K."In societies practicing patrilocal residence, in which there is also an exclusive mother-infant sleeping arrangement, female initiation rites will subject the initiate to extreme pain in the form of a genital operation or extensive tattooing" (843)
Brown, Judith K."If one limits the definition of male initiation rites to only those ceremonies characterized by both a genital operation and seclusion, a very strong relationship emerges between these male rites and those female initiation ceremonies which [cause pain to initiate]" (845)
Textor, Robert B. Societies outside of North America will tend to have painful female initiation rites (383. 8).
Textor, Robert B. Societies where the kin group is exclusively patrilineal will tend to have painful female initiation rites (383, 186).

Associated OCMs

  1. puberty and initiation