Female puberty rites : a test of cross-cultural methodology and comparative analysis of female initiation rites
Date
1977
Authors
Carney, Kerry Kathlyn
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Abstract
This thesis focuses on two problems: cross-cultural methodology and female puberty rites. Brown's (1963) crosscultural study of female puberty rites is examined and her findings are re-evaluated . The appropriateness of the variables and tests Brown employed and the replicability of her results are investigated in order to explain: (1) where female puberty rites may occur; and (2) where they may vary in composition.
Brown's hypothesized relationships are statistically measured. A new sample from Murdock's (1967) Ethnographic Atlas is drawn and Brown's hypotheses are reformulated, measured and tested. Two new variables (societal complexity and geographic factors) are constructed and their relationship with female puberty rites is measured and tested. The results of the investigation indicate that: (1) none of Brown's variables account for more than 17 percent of the observed variation in female puberty rites; and (2) geographic factors are better predictors of female puberty rites and female genital operation.