KINSHIP, MARRIAGE, &

THE HOUSEHOLD
Lesson 9
▪ Kinship – social institution that refers to relations formed between
members of society.
Types of Kinship
A. Kinship by blood- Consanguineal kinship or kinship based on blood is
considered as the most basic and general form of relations. The
relationship is achieved by birth or blood affinity. (Examples: parents and
their children, between siblings, between nieces/ nephews and aunts/
uncles)
Descent- refers to biological relationship; individual’s child or
offspring or ancestry.
Lineage- refers to the line where one’s descent is traced.
male female

= Marriage bond
| descent bond
___ condescent bond=
▪ Unilineal Descent- traced through a single of ancestor from either male and
female line.
a) Patrilineal- both males and females belong to the kin group of their
father. Only the males pass on to their children their family
identity
b) Matrilineal- descent that is traced through the female line.
c) Bilateral – descent through the study of both parents’ ancestors.
▪ Affinal kinship or kinship based on marriage refers to the type of relations
developed when a marriage occurs. This type of kinship is forged by marriage
alliances.
▪ Marriage is an important social institution wherein two persons, a man and a
woman, enter into family life. During this process, the partners make a public,
official, and permanent declaration of their union as lifetime couples.
Various forms of marriages
1. Monogamy- happens when both married partners only have ONE spouse or
sexual partner.
2. Polygamy- occurs when one individual has multiple spouses or sexual mate.
a) polygyny- a man has multiple female partners or mates
b) polyandry- a woman has multiple male partners and mates.
▪ Endogamy- compulsory marriage, in their own village, community, ethnic,
social or religious group.
▪ Exogamy or out-marriage- refers to a marriage custom where an individual
is required by society’s norms and rules to marry outside of their own group,
community, or social classes.
▪ Neolocal- independent from the place of residence of both of the
newlywed’s parents.
▪ Patrilocal- rule of residence when married couples stay in the house of the
husband’s relatives or near the husband’s kin.
▪ Matrilocal- rule of residence when the couples live with the wife’s relatives
or near the wife’s kin.
▪ Bilocal- residence happens when the newlywed couple stay with the
husband’s relatives and the wife’s kin alternately.
▪ Referred Marriage- happens through the help of a matchmaker
▪ Arranged Marriages- also known as fixed marriage, in this kind of marriage,
the man or woman’s parents, community leaders, religious officials or
leaders determine the marital partner of the individual.
Types of arranged marriages:
a) Child marriage- happens when parents arrange for the marriage of their
child long before the marriage takes place.
b) Exchange marriage- there is a reciprocal exchange of spouses between 2
countries, tribes, or groups.
c) Diplomatic marriage- arranged marriage has been established between 2
royal or political families in order to forge political or diplomatic alliances.
d) Modern arranged marriage- the child’s parents, with the consent of the
child, choose from several possible mates.
▪ Compadrazgo “godparenthood” – ritualized form of forging co- parenthood
or family. Done through the performance of Catholic rituals like baptism,
confirmation, and marriage.
▪ Compadre or kumpare for the male godparent and kumare for the female
godparent.
▪ Family is considered the basic unit of social organization.
▪ Made up of a group of individuals who are linked together by marriage,
blood relations, or adoption.
▪ Nuclear family- made up of a married couple and their biological or
adopted child or children.
▪ Extended family- type of family whose members go beyond the nuclear
family made up of parents and their offspring.
▪ Blended family- a type of family where the parents have a child or children
from previous marital relationships but all the members stay and congregate
to form a new family unit. It is sometimes called a step family, reconstituted
family.
male female

= Marriage bond
| descent bond
___ condescent bond=