ABSTRACT
Ideally and historically, the Arab family has been described as extended and patrilocal: After marriage women would live with their husband's kin, returning to visit their natal family only on special holidays and occasions. As Sherifa's story illustrates, certain kin or branches of the kin group may elect to withdraw from the visiting network, refusing to exchange visits, essentially breaking ties with kin considered of lower status or "not good enough." Sherifa initially lived with her mother-in-law and her brothers-in-law after her marriage: the ideal extended patrilocal pattern. Sherifa's strong and continuing ties with her own family are not unique. The voluntary nature of kinship and visits with kin is also illustrated in Selwa's case. An overwhelming majority of studies of Arab women show that after their marriages most women continue to maintain strong and intimate ties with their natal family, often relying on their own kin to defend and assist them in conflicts with their in-laws.
