Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

12-2022

Abstract

The Mosuo, arguably the last surviving matrilineal society in China, offers interesting insights into kinship practices that support reproduction. In particular, the modes of courtship and reproduction of the traditional Mosuo revolve around a practice known as walking marriages, which involves no contract or obligations, where the men do not use social status or resources to court women, women do not expect commitment from men, and multiple sexual relationships are permitted for both sexes and seldom incite conflict. Children borne from walking marriages are cared for not so much by fathers but rather their mothers' brothers, and wealth and property are controlled by women and passed on to daughters rather than to sons. By analyzing how familial and mating practices interact with evolved preferences and ecological affordances, we highlight the ways that traditional Mosuo practices facilitate reproductive success despite differing vastly from those familiar to modern, industrialized societies. We suggest that cases that appear like evolutionary exceptions, such as the traditional Mosuo, can bring into question the mating practices and preferences we take for granted as relatively universal and prompt a nuanced understanding of how environments, culture, and evolution mutually constrain and shape one another.

Keywords

mating, kinship, family, culture, matriliny, Mosuo

Discipline

Family, Life Course, and Society | Sociology of Culture

Research Areas

Psychology

Publication

Culture and Evolution

Volume

19

Issue

1

First Page

22

Last Page

40

ISSN

1789-2082

Identifier

10.1556/2055.2022.00017

Publisher

Akademiai Kiado Rt.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1556/2055.2022.00017

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