matrifocal

comparative more matrifocal · superlative most matrifocal

1. anthropologyCentered on the mother; matriarchal.

   1 more example

   This pattern of children turning towards the mother after a divorce is known as the matrifocal tilt. For younger children, it can be a consequence of custody arrangements that leave the children with the mother. But studies across different countries, and spanning several decades, have also found this matrifocal tilt away from the father in grey divorces with grown-up children.

   2025 September 12, Molly Gorman, “'Was it all smoke and mirrors?': How adult children are affected by grey divorce”, in BBC