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FAMILIES, KINSHIP, AND DESCENT MARRIAGE GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

The Basic Building Blocks of Society


• The way in which people behave toward one another is Marriage may be defined as ‘formal and durable sexual union of one Gender
based on they perceive their role; this role in most societies or more women to one or more men, which is conducted within a set  -one of the universal dimensions on which status differences are
is defined by whom one is related to. of designed rights and duties. based.
 -is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally
• As we shall see, many aspects of kinship and descent are Family Code of the Phils: prescribed roles that men and women are to follow.
socially constructed, as is race. Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a Sex
man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the  -is a biological concept.
Terminologies
establishment of conjugal and family life. It is the foundation of
• Affinals: relatives by marriage. family and an inviolable social institution whose nature, Theories of Gender Development
• Matrilineal descent: kin reckoned through the mother’s consequences and incidents are governed by law and not subject to Social Learning Theory
lineage. stipulation, except that marriage within the limits provided by • Proponents of this theory believe that parents, as distributors
• Patrilineal descent: kin reckoned through the father’s these codes. of reinforcement, reinforce appropriate gender role behavior.
Cognitive-Developmental Theory
lineage. Importance of Marriage • This is derived from Kohlberg's speculations about gender
• Bilateral descent: kin reckoned through both sides of the  To have a permanent relationship with the person you love. development.
family.  To beget children and have happy family. • Children begin the process of acquiring gender-appropriate
• Matrilocal: marriage residence at the mother’s family  For economic and social upliftment or insurance. behavior.
house. Gender Schema Theory
• Patrilocal: marriage residence at the father’s family house. MONOGAMY  -helps a child to develop gender identity & formulate an
“ one-union” marriage wherein man marries one woman appropriate gender role.
What’s so special about family?  Bigamy  Schema
• A family is the basic unit of the social group. As provided by Philippine law, when a man marries more than one - is a mental blueprint for organizing information, and
• Anthropologists are interested in looking at families woman at a given time, which is considered a crime. children develop and formulate an appropriate
and how they reckon kin since kin behavior has specific POLYGAMY gender.
• Polygyny Gender Stereotyping
rules in each culture.
Is a marriage uniting one man to two or several women. -is defined as the beliefs humans hold about the characteristics
• Polyandry associated with males and females.
Types of families Gender Inequality
• Nuclear family (husband, wife, offspring). Is a marriage uniting one woman to many men.
4 themes characterize feminist theorizing of gender inequality:
• Extended family (family consisting of three or more SELECTION OF MARRIAGE PARTNERS  Men & Women are situated in society unequally.
generations). • Endogamy  Organization of society.
Other descent groups include: Requires a person to marry someone from his own locality, from  No significant pattern of natural variation distinguishes the
• Lineages (“the family line/tree”) his own race, social class and religion. sexes.
• Clans (groups assuming common ancestry). • Exogamy  All inequality theories assume fairly easily & naturally to
Mandates marriage between people of different social categories. more egalitarian social structures.
 Gender
Lineages and Clans COURTSHIP -refers to the different ways men & women play in society, & to the
• Common to both types of descent groups is the belief in Paves the way for a man and a woman to know each other better
relative power they wield.
an apical ancestor(s) (among Christians, this would be from the moral, social, spiritual and emotional points of view.
 Power
Adam and Eve). DATING -is a basic fabric of society & is possessed in varying degrees by
• Lineages differ from clans in that lineages use Refers to an arrangement or appointment between a man and social actors in diverse social categories.
demonstrated descent (the actual genealogy can be woman to meet socially. Determinants of Power
cited). ENGAGEMENT  Status resources
• Clans have stipulated descent (they just say they are Has been associated with either giving an engagement ring or  Experience
related because they want to be!). giving a dowry, assumed as a bride price.  Self-confidence

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