Despite the considerable research and theory that have been
devoted to age organizations and secret societies on the African
continent, neither of these institutions has been operationally defined,
nor has the role of either one within the larger society been investigated
empirically. This research presents definitions of both types of organi
zation for both males and females, and a set of explicit codes for each of
their major sociopolitical roles within African cultures. Ratings on a
sample of societies from the 113 African cultural clusters produce
statistical patterns that suggest a number of hypotheses for future
empirical investigation. Age organizations for females as well as for
males are more widespread than previously assumed. The wide
prevalence of secret societies, many of which include females, suggests
that the examination of their social significance has been seriously
neglected. The development of a set of explicit codes provides a
necessary first step in the cross-cultural analysis of these organizations
within Africa as well as in other world regions.
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