14. Relationships, Marriage, and Family

from OpenStax

family life course

a sociological model of family that sees the progression of events as fluid rather than as occurring in strict stages

family life cycle

a set of predictable steps and patterns families experience over time

family of orientation

the family into which one is born

family of procreation

a family that is formed through marriage

intimate partner violence (IPV)

violence that occurs between individuals who maintain a romantic or sexual relationship

kinship

a person’s traceable ancestry (by blood, marriage, and/or adoption)

marriage

a legally recognized contract between two or more people in a sexual relationship who have an expectation of permanence about their relationship

matrilineal descent

a type of unilateral descent that follows the mother’s side only

matrilocal residence

a system in which it is customary for a husband to live with his wife’s family

monogamy

the act of being married to only one person at a time

nuclear family

two parents (traditionally a married husband and wife) and children living in the same household

patrilineal descent

a type of unilateral descent that follows that father’s line only

patrilocal residence

a system in which it is customary for a wife to live with (or near) her husband’s family

polygamy

the state of being committed or married to more than one person at a time

shaken-baby syndrome

a group of medical symptoms such as brain swelling and retinal hemorrhage resulting from forcefully shaking or impacting an infant’s head

unilateral descent

the tracing of kinship through one parent only