A Cross-Cultural Test of Collins's Theory of Sexual Stratification

Abstract

A multivariate model for the explanation of cross-cultural variation in sexual stratification as implied in Collins's (1971, 1975) theory is presented. The model predicts that the degree of sexual dominance in a society is primarily determined by a set of economic and political conditions. Family and kinship variables are predicted to be much less important. The model is tested using a subsample of societies (N = 74) from Murdock and White's (1969) Standard Cross-cultural Sample. The results are inconsistent with Collins's theory. Kinship and family variables, especially marital residence and descent rules, are better predictors than the economic and political variables. According to most accounts in all societies and in all time periods, men enjoy more of the benefits of society than do women. Within this universal pattern, however, a great deal of variability exists. In some societies men dominate women in extreme; in others the relationship is closer to relative equality. In his conflict theory, Randall Collins (1975) attempts to explain both the universal and the variable patterns in sexual inequality. In the present paper, we attempt to test Collins's theory against data from a worldwide sample of societies.