Matrilineal Systems

Matrilineal Puzzle

Scholars have often analyzed matrilineal norms and practices within the framework of the matrilineal puzzle, a term that was introduced to kinship theory by the British anthropologist Audrey Richards. By the mid-20th century, structural-functionalism, developed from the work of social anthropologist A. R. Radcliffe-Brown, had replaced Bachofen and Morgan's kinship theories as the dominant analysis model in social anthropology. Within a structural-functionalist framework, Richards was puzzled by the position of men in matrilineal societies. The issue at question was: Can a matrilineal system in which men have ambiguous roles and dual loyalties work in practice? The debate that followed also focused on what it was that made matrilineal societies different from what was seen as “normal” patrilineal systems.

In the study of kinship and matrilineal versus patrilineal systems, a basic normative assumption is that the essential family unit consists of father, mother, and children. A closely linked assumption has been the “dominant sex” versus the “weaker sex.” According to scholar David M. Schneider, in classic kinship theory, men having authority over their wives and offspring was a basic surmise, or a “constant.” Consequently, [Page 529]anthropological debate and analysis also extended to the “constant” of a man's control over his wife. Schneider also notes that in patrilineal societies, authority and kinship were passed on through patrilineal descent, whereas in matrilineal societies, these lines would be “separated between males and females.” It appears that men were entitled to authority not only as patrilineal group members but also as heads of households (husbands and fathers); however, in matrilineal groups, men's authority would be segregated from their roles as heads of households, husbands and fathers, and be based only on their position in the matriliny. The male's role, therefore, would be that of brother or uncle, instead of the traditional role of husband and father. The fundamental assumption was that this demotion of the “normal” patriarchal role was unnatural.

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