ABSTRACT
Rural-urban migration and its effects have been the focus of considerable attention in anthropological and sociological literature for some time. This chapter examines the implications of circular mobility for a particular set of kinship relations, those that shape the place of women within patrilineal systems. It argues that as patrilineal peasant societies incorporate wage labor into their economic structures alongside or in place of household-based agriculture, women's economic potential expands both directly and, less frequently noticed, indirectly, in such a way that severe pressure is placed on the exclusively patrifocal kinship system. The chapter discusses traditional definitions of female roles and obligations in patrilineal societies, and presents findings from Malaysia and Hong Kong that suggest that despite the continuing strength of patrilineal ideology, a radical revision of actual kinship behavior is under way. It deals with the interrelationships between social structure and labor mobility, especially as they pertain to women.
