A matrifocal family is a family structure headed by mothers, in which fathers, when present, play a role centered on the household and on child-rearing rather than on formal headship. The concept describes households organized around the mother-child bond as the durable structural core, whether or not a father or male partner is continuously present. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Descent RuleSourced to the subject's own accountNot a descent rule proper: it describes a family structure centered on a mother who is the de facto head of the household, with the father, when present, playing a comparatively marginal role in its internal relationships. 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountAlso specifically documented among the Miskitu people of the village of Kuri on the Caribbean coast of northeastern Honduras, per anthropologist Peter Herlihy's late-1990s fieldwork. 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountFirst analyzed as a concept in Caribbean societies; Raymond T. Smith introduced the matrifocal family to the study of the Afro-Caribbean family in 1956. 1 Connections
Associated With
Matrifocal families, centered on a mother and her children with a marginal or absent male partner role, occur with particular frequency in societies that also practice matrilineal descent.
Studied By
Source Wikipedia: Matrifocal Family
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Matrifocal Family
WikipediaMatrifocal family, lead paragraph
A matrifocal family structure is one where mothers head families, and fathers play a role focused on the home and in bringing up children.
Matrifocal family, Definition section
In 1956, the concept of the matrifocal family was introduced to the study of Caribbean societies by Raymond T. Smith.
Characteristics and distribution section, Herlihy Miskitu Honduras paragraph
Herlihy found matrifocality among the Miskitu people, in the village of Kuri, on the Caribbean coast of northeastern Honduras in the late 1990s.
Studied By: Maurice Godelier, Article body sentence quoted
According to anthropologist Maurice Godelier, matrifocality is "typical of Afro-Caribbean groups" and some African-American communities.
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