Sociology: Chapter 16

Polygny

a form of marriage in which men have than one wife

Polyandry

a form of marriage in which women have more than one husband

Family

two or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage or adaptation

Household

people who occupy the same housing unit

Nuclear Family 

a family consisting of a husband wife, and child(ren)

Extended Family

a family in which relatives, such as the "older generation" or unmarried aunts and uncles, live with the parents and their children

Family of Orientation

the family in which a person grows up

Family of Procreation 

the family formed when a couple’s first born is born 

Marriage

a group's approved mating arrangements, usually marked by a ritual of some sort

Endogamy

the practice of marrying within one's own group

Exogamy 

the practice of marrying outside one’s group 

Incest Taboo

the rule that prohibits sex and marriage among designated relatives

System of Descent

how kinship is traced over the generations

Bilineal System 

a system of reckoning descent that counts both the mother's and the father's side

Patrilineal System

a system of reckoning descent that counts only the father's side

Matrilineal System 

a system of reckoning descent that counts only the mother's side

Matriarchy

a society in which women-as-a-group dominate men-as-a-group, authority is vested in females

Egalitarian

authority more or less equally divided between people or groups (in heterosexual marriages, for example, between husband and wife)

Romantic Love 

feelings of erotic attraction accompanied by an idealization of the other

Homogamy

the tendency of people with similar characteristics to marry one another

Machismo

an emphasis on male strength and dominance

Blended Family 

a family whose members were once part of other families