Comparison of the Family and Gender Structures in the Yanomamo, the Aztec and the Modern American Families
Number of pages:
5
ABSTRACT:
This is a 5 page paper comparing the gender and family structures of the Yanomamo, the Aztecs and modern Americans. The Yanomamo of the Brazilian rainforest, the Aztecs of Mexico and modern Americans all have traditionally different gender and family structures and roles but all also experienced shifts within their structures to adapt to new situations encountered by new generations. The males within the Yanomamo are considered as the warriors but are heavily influenced by the women who demand protection from raiding tribes. The men within the tribes also continuously create stronger alliances with other powerful men in order to increase their status and their marriage options. The families of the Aztecs of Mexico lived jointly and joint households consisted of complex kinship ties in addition to the genders enjoying a parallel level of roles and respect. After the Spanish conquests however, the gender roles and family structures shifted toward a more male oriented society consistent with the expectations of the Spanish. Finally, the traditional nuclear families of American society have also shifted within the last generation. As the incidence of divorce increases and more women are working outside of the home, American families have experienced a shift to households which may have traditional nuclear structures but more than likely have environments in which parents are divorced, or cohabitating or are single parent based.
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File: D0_TJfamor1.rtf
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