Social Cohesion, Lineage Type, and Intergenerational Transmission

Abstract

A theory is presented that cultural transmission through the family is greater in same-sex than cross-sex lineages due to the greater social cohesiveness of the former. The theory is further specified as to which normative areas will show the most intergenerational continuity in all-male or all-female lineages. The theory is examined in the light of data obtained from a sample of three-generation families composed of grandparents, parents and married children. The findings offer support for several aspects of the theory.