Matrilocal

Matrilocal, also called uxorilocal, is a postmarital residence pattern in which a married couple resides with or near the wife’s family or kin group rather than with the husband’s. The term contrasts with patrilocal residence, where the couple lives with the husband’s relatives, and with neolocal residence, where a new household is established away from both kin groups.

The practice is found in a variety of cultures worldwide and is not limited to any single descent system. It often occurs in societies with matrilineal or matrifocal tendencies, but matrilocality can also appear in contexts with different or flexible kinship arrangements. Residence with the wife’s kin may influence social networks, alliances, and obligations, including the distribution of support and resources. However, matrilocality does not by itself determine inheritance or lineage, and the relationship between residence and descent can vary across societies.

Variants and related patterns include ambilocal or bilocal residence, in which couples alternate between living with either the husband’s or wife’s kin, and strict matrilocality, where the husband remains in the wife’s household. Over time, matrilocal practices can change due to economic shifts, migration, or legal and social reforms, leading to shifts toward patrilocal or neolocal arrangements in some communities.

Etymology: the term derives from Latin matri- “mother” and localis “of place.” See also patrilocal, neolocal, matriliny, and kinship systems.