Gender and Kinship

Gender

Socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities associated with being male, female, or nonbinary.

Sex

Biological characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive anatomy.

Kinship

The system of social relationships connecting individuals through blood, marriage, or adoption.

Kinship Chart

Symbols and lines used to represent family relationships and descent.

Parallel Cousins

Cousins from a parent's same-gender sibling (e.g., father's brother's children).

Cross Cousins

Cousins from a parent's opposite-gender sibling (e.g., father's sister's children).

Monogamy

Marriage involving one partner at a time.

Polygamy

Marriage involving multiple partners simultaneously.

Polyandry

Marriage where one woman has multiple husbands.

Polygyny

Marriage where one man has multiple wives.

Endogamy

Marriage within a specific social, cultural, or ethnic group.

Exogamy

Marriage outside one's social, cultural, or ethnic group.

Lineage

Direct descent from a common ancestor.

Clan

A group of families claiming shared ancestry, often mythical.

Ways to Trace Descent

Includes unilineal (patrilineal, matrilineal) and bilateral systems.

Unilineal Descent

Tracing ancestry through one parent only.

Patrilineal Descent

Ancestry traced through the father.

Matrilineal Descent

Ancestry traced through the mother.

Bilateral Descent

Ancestry traced equally through both parents.

Types of Residence After Marriage

Includes patrilocal, matrilocal, neolocal, and avunculocal residence.

Patrilocal Residence

Living with the husband's family after marriage.

Matrilocal Residence

Living with the wife's family after marriage.

Neolocal Residence

Establishing an independent household after marriage.

Avunculocal Residence

Living with the husband's mother's brother after marriage.

Bridewealth

Gifts from the groom's family to the bride's family, signifying compensation and alliance.

Dowry

Gifts from the bride's family to the groom or his family, often to enhance the bride's status.

Social Functions of Marriage

Creates alliances, organizes labor, regulates reproduction, and provides social identity.

Physical Violence

Direct harm to individuals.

Cultural Violence

Harm legitimized through norms, ideologies, or beliefs.

Structural Violence

Harm arising from systemic inequalities and injustices.

Theories of Violence

Explanations for violence, including ecological, sociobiological, human universal, and worldview.

Ecological Theory

Links violence to environmental factors or resource scarcity.

Sociobiological Theory

Examines biological predispositions to violent behavior.

Human Universal Theory

Suggests violence is a common aspect of human nature.

Worldview Theory

Proposes that cultural frameworks influence perceptions of violence.

Explanations and Critiques

Theories of violence evaluated for explanatory power and practical implications.