matrifocal

They were also matrifocal: when a young couple married, they lived with the woman's family.

Matrifocal societies are those in which women, especially mothers, occupy a central position.

This had encouraged a "matrifocal" family structure, which was worsened by racism and discrimination.

They try to establish nuclear families, sometimes successfully, but may return to a matrifocal structure if the attempt ends in failure.

Although status was constituted within a matrilineal, matrifocal society, some elite men could take several wives for political or social reasons.

"A family or domestic group is matrifocal when it is centred on a woman and her children.

Caribbean societies are not strictly matrifocal because families move in and out of matrifocality.

Their groups might be as matrifocal as bonobos' as well."

In addition, the society was matrifocal; customarily, a married couple lived with or near the woman's family, so she could be aided by her female relatives.

A matrifocal family structure is one where mothers head families and fathers play a less important role in the home and in bringing up children.

Most modern anthropologists reject the idea of a prehistoric matriarchy, but recognize matrilineal and matrifocal groups throughout human history.

The Caribbean family has been the subject of continuing scholarly attention since the 1930s, likely due to the seemingly matrifocal family structure.

The jaran are matrifocal.

The terms matrifocal and matricentric, 'having a mother as head of the family or household', were first used in the mid 20th century.

While political power is controlled by the males, the social structure seems matrifocal and matrilineal, corresponding to the image of prehistoric societies exhibited by scholars.

In these societies, especially those in which polygynous marriage has been practiced, the family unit is considered on two levels, the matrifocal and the patrifocal.

While scholars know of patriarchal and matrifocal ancient societies, very little can be said about a society of a species, which is as remote as Australopithecus.

Others use the terms matrifocal (Christ 1997, Pollack 1997, Starhawk 1979) and matrix.

Instead, kinship patterns in indigenized families have incorporated elements of matrilocal, matrilineal, and matrifocal traditions found in Javanese society.

Del Giorgio, in The Oldest Europeans (2006), insists on a matrifocal, matrilocal, matrilineal Paleolithic society.

Walking marriage - A practice of a matrifocal group in which the woman accepts her lover each evening, but he departs in the morning to work in his mother's household.

Polygamous families consisted of a large patrifocal family unit based on one man, and smaller matrifocal subfamilies: each woman's family unit, composed of the woman and her children.

According to Marija Gimbutas, the Vinča culture was part of Old Europe - a relatively homogeneous, peaceful and matrifocal culture that occupied Europe during the Neolithic.

Although men did not always reside with their families, they did maintain influence, causing Morrissey to comment that, "male authority embodied in the patriarchal family is often an ideal in so-called matrifocal societies."

Smith, Raymond T., The Matrifocal Family: Power, Pluralism and Politics (New York: Routledge, 1996 (ISBN 0-415-91215-6))