.....2. Worksheet- The Caring Uncle: Musuo Case Study

2. Worksheet
Caring for Children

Many people around the world receive care from their family. But the patterns of care differ according to a culture's kinship structure. In this activity, we will:

  • introduce how anthropologists approach the questions of kinship and care
  • consider the Musuo--the so called 'Women's Kingdom" in China

Introduction

It seems 'natural' that biological parents should look after children. But anthropologists think that's this 'natural' is actually cultural. Humans are socialised to feel that our culture’s kinship patterns are normal. If kin didn't seem natural to us, it wouldn't work. But as an anthropologist, you need to progress past that feeling. So the purpose of this week’s exercises is to de-naturalise your understanding of family. Once you have done that, you will be ready to analyse how kinship and care are inter-related from a relativistic perspective.


Caring: father vs mother's brother

💬 Discussion Prompts

  • What is your mother's brother's name? 
    • If you don't have one, what about your mother's father?
    • Or failing that, your mother's sister's husband? 
    • Or failing that, your mother's male cousin?
  • Who do you feel closer to? That person? Or your biological father?
  • Imagine growing up in a society where your uncle is one of your primary carers, and your father is largely out of the picture. How might that feel?
  • In many societies this arrangement is the ideal, let's consider the Musuo of China


🔍 Musuo Case Study

The Musuo man cares for his sister's children. To paraphrase:
In a traditional Mosuo family, women are seen as the ones who pass down the family line and take on many important roles at home. They organise farming, raise children, and manage daily chores . Romantic partners don’t get married, move in together, or share property. If they have children, those children belong to the mother’s side of the family. The man doesn’t raise his own kids—instead, he helps raise his sisters’ children. Children grow up living with their mother, uncles on their mother’s side, grandmother, and other maternal relatives, and usually don’t have much contact with their biological father (Palaroan et. al. 2022)

Watch "The Women's Kingdom" "The Women's Kingdom" PBS Frontline from START  to  11:31. Consider:

  • The young woman says, "My [maternal] uncles are better than my father"  (11.05).  Children frequently feel this way in matrlineal society. 
  • The narrator explains, "Most children don't live with their father". Is that a symptom of a breakdown of family structures among the Musuo? 
  • The uncle says about his nieces, "when I get old, these girls will look after me". Some of the anthropological concepts we will study in Week 3 can be used to analyse this. Which ones? 
  • The uncle also says that when he has biological children, "I'll leave them with their [maternal] uncles". What does this say about caring roles and kinship?
  • In 1980s Australia a biological father was supposed to be there for his biological kids. What about for the Musuo?

Matrilineal vs Matriarchal

The Musuo social structure is  definitely what we call matrilineal. But is it matriarchal? Are women in control? While Mosuo society is matrilineal (inheritance passes through the mother’s line), this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s matriarchal. n practice, men still often hold important ritual, economic, and political roles. Women may manage the household and property, but they don’t always have public or formal authority

Watch "The Chinese Tribe that Empowers Women" The Chinese Tribe that Empowers Women from 8.03-9:15.

Tourism

It’s worth keeping in mind that the "Women’s Kingdom" idea might be shaped by tourism and outside fascination—stories about free sex and women being fully in charge sell well. . Plus, the tourist gaze can encourage locals to "play up" certain aspects of culture, sometimes flattening or exaggerating reality to meet outside expectations. 

So the lived experience of matrilineal life might look less like a reversal of patriarchy and more like a different (but still structured) way of organising family and care.

Reflection

While some societies are matrilineal—where inheritance and descent follow the mother’s line—there are no known truly matriarchal societies where women hold dominant power across public, political, and religious life. Even in cases like the Mosuo, men often retain key leadership roles, despite women’s central place in domestic life.

Care, too, is shaped by these systems. It is deeply gendered—often seen as the responsibility of women—and treated as feminised labour. That means it’s associated with love, morality, and duty, but not always valued as real work or linked to authority. So while women may do most of the caring, this doesn’t necessarily give them more power.

How does this affect the way we think about who gets to make decisions in families or communities?
Can care be a source of power—or is it more often a source of burden?

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