JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE FAMILY STUDIES

Canada (Calgary) 14

AUTUMN 1997 - VOLUME 28, NUMBER 3

98.14.1 - English - Alan TREVITHICK, The Voice Newspaper, 448 Main Street, Winsted, Connecticut 06098 (U.S.A.)

On a panhuman preference for monoandry: Is polyandry an exception? (p. 154-181)

Marital polyandry is the basis for an argument that humans prefer marital monandry. The argument, in part, is that polyandry is 1) extremely rare, 2) never the only allowed form, 3) when fraternal, often functionally monandrous, 4) when nonfraternal, also non-residential, tending to monandry, and 5) apt to "fission" into monogamy. Tibetan polyandry is the prime focus, but other cases are considered. Though polyandry has received much attention from those seeking to validate or refute inclusive-fitness theory, or to advance purely cultural arguments, the posited human preference for marital monandry is something which can be addressed on the basis of existing ethnography. (TYPES OF MARRIAGE, POLYANDRY)

98.14.2 - English - Mona H. FARAGALLAH, Walter R. SCHUMM and Farrell J. WEBB, School of Family Studies and Human Services, Justin Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66596-1403 (U.S.A.)

Acculturation of Arab-American immigrants: An exploratory study (p. 182-203)

A nonrandom sample of 39 Arab-American immigrants was surveyed with respect to measures of acculturation, satisfaction with life in the United States, family life satisfactions, and various independent variables. Results from this limited sample suggest that longer residence in the U.S., younger age at immigration, having not recently visited one's homeland, and being of a Christian religious persuasion are associated with greater acculturation to U.S. society and greater satisfaction with life in the United States, but with reduced family satisfaction. Discrimination experiences are associated with reduced satisfaction with life in the United State but not with acculturation in general. Although permissiveness is unrelated to most acculturation variables, it is related negatively to parental satisfaction. Although acculturation appears to be associated positively with satisfaction with life in the United States, it also appears to be associated negatively with family satisfaction, confirming the hypotheses of some scholars regarding the stressfulness of immigration experiences and their adverse impact on family life and organization. (UNITED STATES, ARAB COUNTRIES, IMMIGRANTS, ACCULTURATION)

98.14.3 - English - Steven C. DINERO, Middle Eastern Area Studies, Philadelphia College School, House Lane and Henry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 (U.S.A.)

Female role change and male response in the post-nomadic urban environment: The case of the Israeli Negev Bedouin (p. 248-261)

Resettlement and development planning in the Israeli Negev Bedouin community has brought on a variety of social changes, including altered gender roles and expectations. Social planners have viewed development in the women's realm as crucial to community development as a whole. Thus, Bedouin women are now more educated than ever before, and have higher expectations in the economic and social realms which extend well beyond the traditional domestic duties held by their foremothers. And yet, male Bedouin response to such role transformation has been at best, unyielding. It is therefore contended that while female role changes are now in their nascent stace, the patriarchal natural of Bedouin society is not likely to diminish any time soon. Bedouin males' degree of receptivity to new female roles will, for the near term at least, remain a key factor in Bedouin women's ability to alter previous gener-based social patterns. (ISRAEL, SEX DISCRIMINATION, WOMEN'S STATUS, SOCIAL CHANGE)

98.14.4 - English - Steven STACK, Department of Criminal Justice, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202 (U.S.A.)

A comparative analysis of the effect of domestic institutions on suicide ideology (p. 304-319)

Research on domestic institutions and suicide ideology has been based on the United States. It is not clear if the results will replicate in other countries with a variety of institutional and cultural contexts. The present study addresses this gap in the literature through an analysis of 17 nations. At the bivariate level, in 14/17 nations married persons are lower than nonmarried persons in their prosuicide attitudes; in 15/17 parents are lower than nonparents. A multivariate analysis finds, however, that these relationships are attenuated when statistical controls are introduced into the analysis. A relationship between married persons with children and low suicide ideology remains in 8/17 nations. While the relationship between domestic factors and suicide ideology is replicated for the US, for most other nations the relationship is spurious. (SUICIDE, FAMILY COMPOSITION, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

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