Paper instructions:
Please read the attached file and follow the instruction carefully
ANTHROPOLOGY OF GENDER
CHARTING KINSHIP
Overview of Project: More than any other topic, anthropologists have studied kinship.

Kinship serves to structure social, economic, political, and ritual relations, particularly in
small-scale societies. While kinship may not determine some facets of life in the USA today,
kinship is still an important aspect of social relations. Gender and kinship are connected in
important way. The objective of this exercise is to produce a kinship diagram of your own

kin and analyze the social rules and norms of your own family, particularly as they pertain to
gender.
Step 1:
NOTE: If you are not comfortable doing this activity with your own family, you are welcome
to interview a friend about their kin instead.
Make as complete a genealogical chart as possible. Include at least 3 generations and
relatives on both mother’s and father’s sides.
Be sure to place 3 labels on each individual in the diagram:
1) Given Name : the full name of the relative (i.e., Thomas William Dixon)
2) Term of Reference : the term your consultant would use in referring to the

relative when speaking with a third party (i.e., Brother)
3) Term of Address : the term your consultant uses to address the individual, in
quotes, (i.e., Tommy”). If your consultant does not have a term of address for the
individual, draw a line to indicate the lack of a term.
Step 2:
A common assumption is that terms of reference that equate individuals reflect behavioral
equivalencies, and that terms of reference that differentiate individuals reflect behavioral

differences (i.e., all Aunts are behaviorally equivalent and different from Mother).
a. Lumped” kin refers to two or more relatives who share a term of reference.
Be sure to go through all of the terms of reference that represent lumped” kin,
such as Cousin, Aunt, Uncle, Grandmother, etc. In what instances does
lumping” people under a single term reflects social and behavioral
equivalences toward such relatives?

b. Discuss how relatives have been recruited by marriage, adoption, birth into the
family, etc.
c. Do you have fictive kin? If so, what is the nature of their ties to one another? Are
their pets considered part of the family (if so these are fictive kin)?
Step 3:
Address the following questions and post your responses to the appropriate discussion

board on CANVAS by Monday, 11:59pm. When you post, be sure to indicate the associated
letter to each of your responses.
a. Examine the surnames (last names) of the individuals on the kinship diagrams. What is
the pattern of inheritance and what does this reflect about descent?
b. What rules about marrying can you determine from the kinship diagrams? (is divorce

accepted/ practiced in the family? Remarriage? Does one only have children when married?
How many children do member of your family typically have? Are there generational
changes? Who is allowed to marry? What are the rates of marriages and divorces?)
c. Are there individuals with the same name? Same term of reference? Same term of
address? What are the explanations for these similarities?

d. From the 3 labels that have been given to each individual, what do they reflect about
role relationships between EGO (you) and the individuals?
e. Specifically what do you observe related to gender in your family? Can you identify any
trends related to gender from your kinship chart?
f. As a member of this family, what would you describe as the expectations, rules, and
experiences of gender in your family? Do the members of your family share a common

viewpoint of gender or common experiences related to gender?
g. What questions could you ask of your family to learn more about the gender roles and
expectations of your kin? Come up with a list of questions you could ask family members
to understand gender rules, patterns, expectations, and experiences in your own family.
Consent: I agree to participate in this study and to have the data I provide analyzed and discussed by other
class members.

Name_____________________________________________________ Date _________________________
*Information taken from 1) Julie G. Crane and Michael V. Angrosino (1992) Field Projects in Anthropology: A Student
Handbook, Waveland Press, Inc., Prospect Heights, Ill. and 2) John T. Omohundro (2008) Thinking Like an
Anthropologist: A Practical Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, McGraw-Hill, Boston.
1.
CHARACTERS
Girl/Woman O
Boy/Man ?

Gender
Unknown
Deceased
Female
Ø
Deceased
Male
?
Adopted
Male ?
Adopted
Female
O

EGO is
a
point
of
reference.
2.
RELATIONSHIPS
Married =
Cohabiting ˜
Divorced ?
Separated ˜
Descended
from
Siblings ?
Twins ?