Many of the family and marriage traditions of the Inuit people are similar to those practiced today. The men had one main goal: bring food home to their families. They were the hunters and fishermen. Meanwhile, the women cooked, took care of their children, and cleaned while the husbands were out in the wilderness searching for food. This is what happened in a typical Inuit household, but there are some exceptions. In some cases, women would do the hunting if the husband was away from home, or if they just enjoyed hunting as a hobby. Likewise, some men took on the responsibility of learning how to cook and sew. Further, Inuit marriage had a different structure than that of present day America. Their marriage customs were not strictly monogamous marriages. Many relationships were sexually open marriages. Also, divorce is common among the Inuit people, and some divorces could only take place if approved by the community. Also, some marriages were arranged, in as early as infancy. Marriage is commonly forced on a couple by the community, so it is not a surprise that divorce is common among their culture. Every household has it's head, who is an elder or a particularly respected man.
Reference: Diana Forero, "Inuit Tribe," Intermediate Huron (blog), November 6, 2008, http://intermediatehuron.blogspot.com/2008/06/family-gender-roles-mariage-and.html.
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