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<p>The matrilineal Mosuo, an ethnic community of 40,000 individuals in Southwest China, uphold a unique family structure characterized by a maternal kin-based household and a dual-residence “Sese” marriage system. Within this system, children belong to their mother’s household, and men assume the responsibility of caring for their sisters’ children, rather than their own biological offspring. Despite its uniqueness, the relationship dynamics within this family system have not been thoroughly examined. This study sought to investigate these multi-generational family dynamics using a psychological projective test. Participants in the caregiver–child pair (<InlineEquation ID="IEq1"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="12144_2025_7294_Article_IEq1.gif" Format="GIF" Height="14" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="55" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\:N=36\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, First Generation: <InlineEquation ID="IEq2"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="12144_2025_7294_Article_IEq2.gif" Format="GIF" Height="14" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="55" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\:N=17\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>, <InlineEquation ID="IEq3"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="12144_2025_7294_Article_IEq3.gif" Format="GIF" Height="19" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="182" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\:{M}_{age}=40.59,\:SD=6.46\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>; Second Generation: <InlineEquation ID="IEq4"> <InlineMediaObject> <ImageObject Color="BlackWhite" FileRef="12144_2025_7294_Article_IEq4.gif" Format="GIF" Height="19" Rendition="HTML" Resolution="72" Type="Linedraw" Width="246" /> </InlineMediaObject> <EquationSource Format="TEX">\(\:N=19,\:{M}_{age}=15.74,\:SD=5.59\)</EquationSource> </InlineEquation>) completed the Family Image Test, providing a visual representation of their perceived relationship structures with various family members. The results revealed a distinct family hierarchy within the matrilineal Mosuo family that emphasizes elders’ authority. Interestingly, younger family members demonstrated a tendency to form closer bonds with their parents than the first generation, without compromising their intimacy with maternal relatives. This suggests the existence of a dual family relationship system that encompasses both the maternal kinship cycle and the nuclear family cycle. The dual relationship system of the matrilineal Mosuo reflects the deep influence of matrilineal lineage, cultural norms, and socialization, interwoven with the impacts of integration with the patrilineal Han Chinese and the transformative effects of contemporary socio-economic conditions.</p>

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Cyclical processing of maternal lineage and parent–child dynamics: the dual family relationship system in the matrilineal Mosuo society

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年1月10日

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  • Jue Wang,
  • Toshihiko Endo

摘要

The matrilineal Mosuo, an ethnic community of 40,000 individuals in Southwest China, uphold a unique family structure characterized by a maternal kin-based household and a dual-residence “Sese” marriage system. Within this system, children belong to their mother’s household, and men assume the responsibility of caring for their sisters’ children, rather than their own biological offspring. Despite its uniqueness, the relationship dynamics within this family system have not been thoroughly examined. This study sought to investigate these multi-generational family dynamics using a psychological projective test. Participants in the caregiver–child pair ( \(\:N=36\) , First Generation: \(\:N=17\) , \(\:{M}_{age}=40.59,\:SD=6.46\) ; Second Generation: \(\:N=19,\:{M}_{age}=15.74,\:SD=5.59\) ) completed the Family Image Test, providing a visual representation of their perceived relationship structures with various family members. The results revealed a distinct family hierarchy within the matrilineal Mosuo family that emphasizes elders’ authority. Interestingly, younger family members demonstrated a tendency to form closer bonds with their parents than the first generation, without compromising their intimacy with maternal relatives. This suggests the existence of a dual family relationship system that encompasses both the maternal kinship cycle and the nuclear family cycle. The dual relationship system of the matrilineal Mosuo reflects the deep influence of matrilineal lineage, cultural norms, and socialization, interwoven with the impacts of integration with the patrilineal Han Chinese and the transformative effects of contemporary socio-economic conditions.