A World Without Fathers
Trami Nguyen
Z#23229316
April 2, 2013
Culture and Society
Paper 3 No Father
Between the American society and Mosuo’s society, many differences arise. However for the purposes of Anthropology not only is it needed identify those differences, but also realizing how these differences affect the everyday lives of the people like the Mosuo. The way they live their lives work for them and their society. This matrilocal, matrilineal, and polyandrous group finds this lifestyle the most understandable and efficient.
When the two societies are compared, it is quite clear what the differences between the two are. American society is used to seeing monogamous relationships that lead up to marriage. Both husband and wife live together and raise children. The family unit is mainly consisting of a mother, father and children. On the other hand, in the Mosuo society the man and women do not get married. Instead Mosuo lives a polyandrous life. Their system is where females chose whomever they want as sexually partners, they may have multiple male partners, and if a child does happen to appear in their lives, the child will grown up within the mothers household. The father will not be around to be the ‘father figure’ but instead grow up with their mothers’ brother. The uncle will provide the child with money and gifts. Although the Mosuo’s typical family doesn’t have a biological father, the uncle provided a father figure. There is no “absentee fathers”. Even in America there are many fathers with adopted children. A flaw in Mosuo’s culture is that there is not much opportunity for the male population to grow and be independent. They rely on a woman for life. In the film there was even an example of a boy that wanted to do work but was ridiculed. Eventually he went back and conformed back to how society wanted.
The biggest difference but slowly depleting between the American society and Mosuo’s is marriages and walking marriages. Americans typically get married
Z#23229316
April 2, 2013
Culture and Society
Paper 3 No Father
Between the American society and Mosuo’s society, many differences arise. However for the purposes of Anthropology not only is it needed identify those differences, but also realizing how these differences affect the everyday lives of the people like the Mosuo. The way they live their lives work for them and their society. This matrilocal, matrilineal, and polyandrous group finds this lifestyle the most understandable and efficient.
When the two societies are compared, it is quite clear what the differences between the two are. American society is used to seeing monogamous relationships that lead up to marriage. Both husband and wife live together and raise children. The family unit is mainly consisting of a mother, father and children. On the other hand, in the Mosuo society the man and women do not get married. Instead Mosuo lives a polyandrous life. Their system is where females chose whomever they want as sexually partners, they may have multiple male partners, and if a child does happen to appear in their lives, the child will grown up within the mothers household. The father will not be around to be the ‘father figure’ but instead grow up with their mothers’ brother. The uncle will provide the child with money and gifts. Although the Mosuo’s typical family doesn’t have a biological father, the uncle provided a father figure. There is no “absentee fathers”. Even in America there are many fathers with adopted children. A flaw in Mosuo’s culture is that there is not much opportunity for the male population to grow and be independent. They rely on a woman for life. In the film there was even an example of a boy that wanted to do work but was ridiculed. Eventually he went back and conformed back to how society wanted.
The biggest difference but slowly depleting between the American society and Mosuo’s is marriages and walking marriages. Americans typically get married