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Unit 4 Social Institutions
How did family structures develop? As discussed in Chapter 5, the development of agriculture and industry shaped society. These developments also shaped family structure.
In the earliest societies, hunting and gathering were the primary family activities. Small bands of nuclear families followed herds of animals and changing seasons, moving around constantly, never staying long in any one place.
When humans domesticated animals to help with tilling the soil and cul- tivating crops (about ten thousand years ago), they no longer needed to be mobile to maintain a food supply. Families began to farm, settle down, and establish roots. Large families were needed to plow and harvest. The growth of family farms encouraged the development of the extended family. Agri- culture became the basis of the economy, and the extended family was es- sential for successful farming.
As societies moved from agricultural economies to industrialized ones, the extended family was slowly replaced by the nuclear family. Large families were no longer needed to work on the farm. Industrial and postindustrial economies favor the nuclear family that has fewer mouths to feed and that is easier to move (Goode, 1970; Nydeggar, 1985).
Patterns of Family Structure
Whether nuclear or extended, families behave in similar ways across cul- tures. These patterns of behavior relate to inheritance, authority, and place of residence.
Who inherits? Determining who becomes head of the family—for pur- pose of descent—and who owns the family property—for inheritance—are extremely important to families. Three arrangements are used.
❖ In a patrilineal arrangement, descent and inheritance are passed from the father to his male descendants. The people of Iran and Iraq and the Tikopia in the western Pacific live in patrilineal societies.
❖ In a matrilineal arrangement, descent and inheritance are transmitted from the mother to her female descendants. Some Native American tribes, such as the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest, are matrilineal.
❖ In some societies, descent and inheritance are bilateral—they are passed equally through both parents. Thus both the father’s and mother’s relatives are accepted equally as part of the kinship structure. Most families in the United States today are bilateral.
Who is in authority? Similar patterns govern authority in a family.
❖ In a patriarchy, the oldest man living in the household has authority over the rest of the family members. We see this in many countries around the world, such as Iraq and China. In its purest form, the father is the absolute ruler.
❖ In a matriarchy, the oldest woman living in the household holds the authority. So rare is matriarchal control that controversy exists over whether any society has ever had a genuinely matriarchal family structure.
patrilineal
descent and inheritance is passed through the male line
matrilineal
descent and inheritance is passed through the female line
bilateral
descent and inheritance are passed equally through both parents
patriarchy
the pattern in which the oldest man living in the household has authority over the rest of the family members
matriarchy
the pattern in which the oldest woman living in the household has authority over all other family members