Descent
When analyzing descent, there are two terms that you will most likely come across. The two are matrilineal and patrilineal descent systems. Most families in almost all parts of the planet have some form of descent, and the two most common are matrilineal and patrilineal systems. Therefore, it is necessary that one explores the definitions of the two systems and their differences, the primary difference originating from their very definitions. Matrilineal systems are descent systems in which kinship and or inheritance in the family are based on and are therefore traced through the female members of the family (Lowes 2). Thus, the matrilineal system is almost entirely tied to the female side of the family, and as such inheritance and or kinship runs through the female side (Lowes 2). In contrast to the matrilineal system, the kinship and inheritance are based on and go through the male line of the family, and as such are defined by the males in a family (Kutsoasi &Randall 216).
The patrilineal system is also different from the matrilineal system in that in the patrilineal system; a married woman is fully incorporated into the husband’s family lineage and therefore detaches herself from her lineage (Lowes 2). This contrasts the matrilineal system in which both the husband and the wife maintain their lineages.
Bilateral descent is in between the matrilineal and patrilineal systems, that is, it is neither exclusively matrilineal nor patrilineal. Bilateral descent equally treats the male and female lines of descent, that is, it supports a system that treats as equals both the male and female descent line. Therefore, bilateral descent makes it possible for one to maintain ties, both emotional and inheritance ties with either or both sides of the family, that is, the father’s or the mother’s lineages. My family is a bilateral descent system since I can maintain ties with both my father’s and mother’s family lineages, and there are no restrictions as to whether I can inherit wealth from either side of the family.
Works Cited
Kutsoati, Edward, and Randall Morck. “Family ties, inheritance rights, and successful poverty alleviation: Evidence from Ghana.” African Successes, Volume II: Human Capital. University of Chicago Press, 2014. 215-252.
Lowes, Sara. Kinship systems, gender norms, and household bargaining: Evidence from the matrilineal belt. Harvard mimeo, 2016.