106b. Family and reproduction

This recording is the second part of a multi-part episode on Professor David Lancy's book The Anthropology of Childhood.

In this episode, we look at reproduction and the family, including questions such as:

• What attitudes and practices are there to family size and family planning in pre-state societies?
• What are the roles of mothers and fathers in these societies?
• How do cultural practices such as patri- vs. matrilocal residence or monogamy vs. polygamy vs. polyandry affect family structure and the raising of children?
• How do all of the above vary in societies with different subsistence patterns (subsitence farmers vs. herders vs. hunter-gatherers)? Can the variation by subsistence pattern be explained through evolutionary and/or economic factors?

Enjoy the episode.