Understanding Culture, Society, and

Politics
(Quarter 2- MODULE 8)

~KINSHIP~
Kinship refers to ‘’web social relationships’’ that human form as part of a family, which is the smallest unit

of society.

Ferraro and Andreatta (2010) defined family as:

- as a ‘’social and economic unit that consists of one or more parents and their children.’’

- Is a primary socio-economic unit wherein an individual learns their social roles

- The two primary purposes of a family are:

a. To orient individual of the norms of the society

b. To provide physical support as the individual mature

What is a family?

1. A family is a socio-economic unit- family acts as the primary support group for its members as

they participate in the social processes within a society.

2. A family can have one or more parents- a family consist of two parents-a mother and a father,

but this is not the norm for other societies who would have one parent, a mother or a father, or

multiple parents due to multiple marriages.

3. A family can have parents who are not married- if individuals are socially and economically

interdependent, they can be considered a family. This put the perspective the concept of the common

law marriage which is an informal union of the couples.

4. A family can have parents with the same gender- some societies allow the marriage of the individuals

with the same sex. (e.g., same sex marriages in USA which eventually creates family)

5. A family should have at least one child- most crucial element of a family is the existence of children.

Without a child, a couple remains to be a couple and not a family.

female- ego- the person being trace

male-

married-

divorce-

death-

adopted-

descent bond-

condescend bond-
 Ego first learned her society’s norms and roles in her family

(nuclear family of orientation). Ego’s family of procreation

consists of her own concept of a family together with her

husband. Ego perpetuates the values and beliefs that she

has acquired in her family of orientation.

Kinship by Blood

Blood relatives- one factor that allows an individual to identify another individual as a family member

through consanguinity.

Kinship by blood- this type of kinship links individual based on their genetic relations. This refers to a

descent or the socially accepted connection between an ancestor and its succeeding generation.

➢ 2 Decent Rules: Unilineal and Bilateral Descent:

1. Unilineal Descent- allows an individual to be affiliated to the descent of one sex group only-either

the male or the female.

• Matrilineal descent/uterine descent- trace kinship relations through female’s line.

• Patrilineal descent/agnatic descent- trace kinship relations through male’s line.

 - Clan is an expansion of unilineal descent groups (isang angkan, isang ganern)

- Phratries is the expansion of clans into larger descent groups

- Moiety is where the society is divided into two halves and each descent groups, along matrilineal

and patrilineal lines of descent.

2. Bilateral Descent- allows an individual to trace kinship ties in both families. This means that they

can try both of their parent’s relatives as their own relatives.

• Kindred- united by a common relative, it takes risks of dissolution when connections to the

common relatives is lost.

Kinship by Marriage

Marriage is a ‘’socially or ritually recognized union or legal contract between spouses that establishes rights

and obligations between them, their children, and their in-laws’’ (Haviland et al., 2011)

There are four types of families based on marriage systems: patrifocal and matrifocal, monogamous,

polygamous, and extended.

1. Patrifocal and Matrifocal- this family type is focused on one parent. (Patifocal-father), (Matrifocal-

mother)

2. Monogamous- the nuclear family. A single couple and their child or children

3. Polygamous- several parents and their children.

• Polyandry- woman is allowed to marry several men

• Polygyny- allows man to marry several women

4. Extended- type of family has several married couples and their children living in one household. This

can consist of the married parents and their married children living in one household.
 5. Reconstituted family- current spouses were previously married and had children. This individual

remarried and create new family bringing in their children from the previous family and often

birthing their own

Post marital Residency Rules

- After marriage, newlyweds struggle on where to live and build a family. Every society has its own

rules and traditions on post marital residency. Anthropology identified seven major residency

patterns:

1. Patrilocal Residence- woman is expected to transfer to the residence of her husband’s father (father

in-law), allowing for the creation of patrilineal descent.

2. Matrilocal Residence- man is expected to take residence with his wife’s mother’s area (mother in-

law).

3. Neolocal Residence- arrangement that requires both spouses to leave their households and create

their own times even in a different locality. (nuclear family)

4. Avunculocal Residence- a complex residency pattern bcoz it requires two residence transfers. After

marriage, newlyweds will raise their children in the household of the husband’s father. Upon reaching

the adulthood, children will have to be relocated with their mother’s brother (tito) in his household.

5. Natalocal Residence- allows both spouses to remain with their own households after marriage. The

couple will have to arrange for meetings and their children are allowed to choose which household

they would join.

6. Ambilocal Residence- allows couple to choose to live either with the wife’s mother’s area or husband’s

father’s area. This often creates an extended family.

7. Transnational Families- families practice alternative forms of residency patterns that are not based

on lineage perpetuation. (e.g., OFWs, parents who are OFWs decided to take their children to the

country where they work with because they see big opportunities to that country which will benefit

them all)

Loraine Rose Javien G12-Magdalene