One of the most puzzling questions in anthropology is why...

One of the most puzzling questions in anthropology is why marriage and incest taboos are nearly universal institutions in human societies. In order to answers these questions their many theories will be explained and compared. There are many theories for the universal institution of marriage. It solves a few problems between men and women, but these problems cannot be considered the prime motivation for marriage as an institution. Some of these problems include sharing the products of gendered labor, caring for extremely dependent offspring, and minimizing sexual competition. If sharing the products of labor was the cause of the development of marriage, why did humans not evolve a more efficient system of distribution? If minimizing†¦show more content†¦The production of such offspring would render these unions evolutionarily unfit. Sex and Gender are two very different concepts in anthropology. Sex refers to the biological differences inherent in males and females. Gender is a socially and culturally defined construction and may be different between different societies. In many different cultures gender differences do not always align with sexual differences. Many cultures in fact see male and female as opposing ends of a continuum; there may be many intermediate genders between male and female. These social constructions may be very difficult to separate from the biological realities of maleness and femaleness. For example a cross-cultural study done by anthropologists recorded that boys within many societies tend to be more aggressive than the females within that same culture. Females in turn tend to be more nurturing in those cultures. Since these differences are universal, are they a product of biological differences? Or do all societies need men and women for different roles and so they socialize their children appropriately? A study on Australian aborigines has shown a high level of female aggression, leading many researchers to speculate that behavioral differences are cultural in origin. The Navajo of Southwestern United StatesShow MoreRelatedStudy questions Essay1333 Words   |  6 PagesAnthr 110 Gender, Age and Culture Instructor: Franà §ois Larose Study Questions Fall 2012 Instructions: In preparation for the exams, here is a list of study questions for each chapter. What you need to know from the text is covered in these questions. For all these chapters, you need to be familiar with the definitions (technical terms) highlighted in the text. Also, while there will be no direct questions on the grey boxes in these chapters, I strongly suggest you read them. They provideRead MoreThe Gypsies Case Study Answers1376 Words   |  6 PagesEmma Matix Dra. Palmer ANTHR October 17, 2017 Midterm Question 1: The Gypsies, who originated from India, are also known as the â€Å"Roma†. They are similar to Nomads, moving from one place to another. Within this group of people, there is a clear division between the men and the woman. In the book The Gypsies by Jan Yoor, they are separated by gender and age through adolescence, puberty, and through adulthood. This is seen specifically in the responsibilities or tasks given to both genders. The womenRead MoreModern Medicine And Natural Selection2008 Words   |  9 Pages Maximilian Winkle Anthr. 1 Modern Medicine Natural Selection Humans have ventured a long way since the times of our early ancestors living in caves and fearing the cold and beast that would roam the darkness . As a species we have evolved from using primitive stone and copper tools to building space stations and creating new elements. With this abundance of knowledge we have created and retained has come the ability of discovering and understanding new sciences and medical techniquesRead MoreComponential Analysis and the Study of Meaning11940 Words   |  48 Pagesfrequently happens, however, that while we do not find contrasting significata in the same context, we find them in different contexts: the several significata are 17Language 162; see also Floyd G. Lounsbury, Oneida verb morphology11 (Yale Univ. publ. in anthr., No. 48, 1953), and Nida, op. cit. COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS AND THE STUDY OF MEANING 207 in complementary distribution with respect to the linguistic contexts in which they occur. Since they are in this sense noncontrasting, it is tempting to regard