How might this insight apply to multigenerational female led households in the US? [DH]
A study finds that there may be health benefits when family ties are linked through mothers and women head households.
SAPIENS 25 MAR 2021
By Deepa Padmanaban; a freelance journalist based in Bangalore, India.
Anthropologists have long been intrigued by the Mosuo, an ethnic Chinese community that lives in Yunnan province. The Mosuo share a common language and cultural practices, but they are unique in that they maintain what anthropologists call two different kinship systems: matriliny and patriliny.
More specifically, inheritance passes from mothers to their children among the matrilineal Mosuo and from fathers to sons among patrilineal Mosuo. Globally, matriliny is less common than patriliny—and some societies now link inheritance and kinship through both parents.
In general, women have greater autonomy and control of resources in matrilineal Mosuo communities. The reverse is true in patrilineal ones. This difference could be powerful. A study published last fall in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences comparing the two Mosuo communities suggests cultural factors such as gender norms can significantly contribute to differences in men’s and women’s health. Their findings suggest that women’s health improves significantly in matrilineal communities.
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