Category: Family, Marriage and Kinship

In any society, interactions with different types of kin are governed by certain norms. We briefly mention some of these rules that are in vogue not only among primitive tribes, but also in advanced civilizations. Early scholars have tried to explain these practices and relate them with evolutionary theories. Quite naturally disagreements exist with regard…

In every society, kins are known by the terms used for them. They can be ‘terms of address’ or ‘terms of reference’. A ‘term of reference’ is a formal term used to describe a relationship. But when the person referred to is addressed, a different term may be used—this is called a ‘term of address’.…

In the previous section, we focused on the family and its extensions. As the basic unit of society, family—particularly the conjugal unit and the nuclear family—is the smallest group, with its members linked either through marriage or birth. We also noticed that such people live together in different types of residential arrangements, and the people…

In all the types referred to above, the presence of a conjugal unit was the central point of classification. However, there is a special type of residential arrangement found among the tribes of Guinea and Sierra Leon in West Africa, called Susu. The word Susu—also spelt as Soussou or Sosokui—is also used for a dialect…

The interpretation of the picture below of a Moro husband and his seven wives is not so much biological as cultural. It is a matter of prestige, perhaps of riches or large land ownership, as well as of polygamy. Among the Moros, the ratio of women to men is not seven to one, (Photo by…

The prefix ‘poly’ signifies plurality. When there are plural spouses, the marriage is called polygamous, and the practice is termed polygamy. A monogamous union can be changed into a polygamous one if either party acquires additional spouse/s, and when such a practice is socially recognized. Thus, it precludes those who are recognized lovers out of…

When families of procreation of several married siblings are linked to their common family of orientation, they constitute a Lineal Family. Such a family dissolves with the death of their parents, and may become a laterally extended family, or split into individual nuclear families.   Figure 9.10 Composite Group of Nuclear Families   The circled A, B and C are…

Nuclear Family (Also Called Simple or Elementary Family) This consists of Husband, Wife and children (own or adopted). The newly married couple who lives separately is ‘a nuclear family-in-the-making’. It is therefore called a Conjugal Unit. A nuclear family might revert to a conjugal unit when the children grow up and establish their own nuclear…

What significantly affects the family type is the number of spouses, no matter how they have been acquired. When a person has more than one spouse at the same time, it is an instance of Polygamy as against Monogamy. Polygamy is basically of two types: Polygyny (plural wives, single husband) and Polyandry (plural husbands, single wife). There are references to a third type…

The census takes note of the number of persons residing in A family, and calculates the average size of the family. At times, the word ‘household’ is used for such a unit. Again, household has been variously defined in different censuses as (i) a physical structure—one roof—and all persons living under it; or (ii) a…