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The Conditions Favoring Matrilocal Versus Patrilocal Residence
Author(s) -
EMBER MELVIN,
EMBER CAROL R.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1971.73.3.02a00040
Subject(s) - residence , residence time (fluid dynamics) , subsistence agriculture , demography , geography , sociology , archaeology , geology , geotechnical engineering , agriculture
This paper describes the results of a series of cross‐cultural tests of several different explanations of matrilocal versus patrilocal residence. The first explanation tested was the traditional assumption that division of labor determines residence. The results did not support that assumption. The results of other tests suggest rather that patrilocal residence is favored by internal warfare, whether or not such warfare interferes with a normally patridominant division of labor; and matrilocal residence appears to be favored by purely external warfare if such warfare compels the women to do at least as much subsistence work as the men.