This chapter introduces students to the roles that families, kinship, and marriage play in society. It discusses the different classifications that anthropologists use for kin groups, descent, and residence. This chapter also discusses how difficult it is to define marriage, and the range of marriage practices, rights, and rituals that exist in human cultures throughout the world.

Understand how industrialism has affected family organization. In particular, you should be familiar with recent changes in North American kinship.

Be able to identify the general patterns found in family organization among foragers.

Know what descent group is, the different kinds of descent, and the different kinds of postmarital residence rules. In addition, you should know the difference between clans and lineages.

Know the six things that Leach argues that marriage can, but does not always, accomplish. In addition, you need to know how Leach’s definition can be used to justify same-sex marriages.

Be able to identify and distinguish between incest, exogamy, and endogamy.

Understand how marriage functions as a form of group alliance and the role that bridewealth and dowries play in creating and maintaining these alliances. In addition, you need to be able to distinguish between sororate and levirate marriages.

Know how divorce varies across cultures. In particular, you should be familiar with the factors that affect rates of divorce.

Be able to identify and distinguish between the different kinds of plural marriages and the conditions that favor each.