A worldwide view of matriliny: using cross-cultural analyses to shed light on human kinship systems
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B • Vol/Iss. 347(1780) • The Royal Society Publishing • • Published In • Pages: 1-12 •
By Surowiec, Alexandra, Snyder, Kate T., Creanza, Nicole
Hypothesis
Matriliny/matrilocality is associated with an absence of cattle domestication.
Note
The researchers used cattle domestication, milking, and leather working as proxies to examine the presence of cows in matrilineal/matrilocal societies. The analysis found that only milking co-occurred less often with matrilocality than would be expected in a random sample, although it had no correlation with matriliny. Correlated evolution further showed that milking destabilized the presence of matrilocality.
| Test Name | Support | Significance | Coefficient | Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chi-Square | Partially Supported | see table | UNKNOWN | One tailed |
| Variable Name | Variable Type | OCM Term(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Matrilocality | Independent | Residence |
| Milking | Dependent | Dairying |
| Matriliny | Independent | Rule Of Descent |
| Leather Working | Dependent | Leather, Textiles, And Fabrics, Leather Industry |
| Cattle domestication | Dependent | Domesticated Animals |