Neolocal residence
Encyclopedia
Neolocal residence is a type of post-marital residence when a newly married couple resides separately from both the husband's natal household
and the wife's natal household. Neolocal residence form the basis of most developed nations, especially in the West
, but it is also found among some nomadic peoples.
Upon marriage
, each partner is expected to move out of his or her parents' household and establish a new residence, thus forming the core of an independent nuclear family
. Neolocal residence involves the creation of a new household each time a child marries or even when he or she reaches adulthood and becomes economically active. Neolocal residence and nuclear family domestic structures are found in societies where geographical mobility is important. In Western societies, they are consistent with the frequent moves necessitated by choices and changes within a supply- and demand-regulated labor market. They are also prevalent in hunting and gathering economies, where nomadic movements are intrinsic to the subsistence strategy.
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
and the wife's natal household. Neolocal residence form the basis of most developed nations, especially in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, but it is also found among some nomadic peoples.
Upon marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, each partner is expected to move out of his or her parents' household and establish a new residence, thus forming the core of an independent nuclear family
Nuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
. Neolocal residence involves the creation of a new household each time a child marries or even when he or she reaches adulthood and becomes economically active. Neolocal residence and nuclear family domestic structures are found in societies where geographical mobility is important. In Western societies, they are consistent with the frequent moves necessitated by choices and changes within a supply- and demand-regulated labor market. They are also prevalent in hunting and gathering economies, where nomadic movements are intrinsic to the subsistence strategy.