Define kinship. Explain types and degrees of kinship.

Define kinship. Explain types and degrees of kinship.

Here we will discuss the topic Define Kinship, Explain its types and degrees of kinship in detail.

Kinship is one of the important aspects of social structure and one of the basic principles for organizing individuals into social groups, categories and genealogy. Kinship system includes people related through the bond of blood, marriage and includes kindred ones. Marriage establishes social recognition of copulation which is the basic need of life. It represents one of the basic social institutions. Kinship is universal and in most societies plays a significant role in the socialization of individuals and the maintenance of group solidarity. It provides the basis for the social status of ‘husband’ and ‘father’. It is very important in primitive societies and extends its influence on almost all their activities.

Consanguineous kinship:- Relation by the bond of blood is called consanguineous kinship such as parents and their children and between children of same parents. Thus son, daughter, brother, sister, paternal uncle etc are consanguineous kin. Each of these is related through blood.
Affinal Kinship:-Those related to each other through marital relationships are called Affinal kinship. The Affinal kins are not related through the bond of blood. New relations are created when marriage takes place. Not only man establishes relationship with the girl and the member so f her brutal so family members of both the man and the woman get bound among themselves.

Primary kinship:-Every individual who belong to a nuclear family finds his primary kinship within the family. They are near, close and direct. They are known as primary kins. There are 8 primary kins- husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, father-daughter, mother-daughter, younger brother-elder brother, younger sister-elder sister and brother-sister.
Secondary kinship:-They are the primary kin of primary kin. In other words, they are related through primary kin. Outside the nuclear family the individual can have 33 types of secondary relatives. For example: mother’s brother, brother’s wife, sister’s husband, father’s brother. The father is my primary kin and his brother is the primary kin of father.
Tertiary kinship:-Tertiary kins refer to the secondary kins of our primary kins .For example wife’s brother’s son, sister’s husband’s brother, the brother-in-law of my brother and so on. There are 151 types of tertiary kins.

Avoidance:- In North India, a father-in-law avoids having face to face contact with his daughter-in-law and thus it is the practice of avoidance.
Teknonymy:- In this type of kinship usage, a kin is not directly referred but is referred to through another kin. For example, in Hindu family, a wife does not mention her husband’s name.
Avunculate:- This type of kinship usage observed between the children of a mother’s brother and his sister in many matrilineal In these societies, the maternal uncle takes many of the responsibilities of the father. This practice is found among the Fijians, African tribes and the Nayars of south India.
Amitate:- This type of kinship usage is more common among matrilineal society. Here, the sister of the father is treated with great respect and given up top priority. This form of kinship usage is seen in Polynesian Tonga, Toda of south India and other communities.
Couvade:- This is type of unusual of kinship in which when a man’s wife gives birth to a child, the husband is forced to live a life of austerity. This particular usage was earlier common among the Nayars of south India, the Ainus of Japan, and a few Chinese villages.
Joking relationship:- Joking relationship is the exact opposite form of “avoidance”. In both tribes and Hindu culture, the daughter-in-laws have the privilege to beat ease with younger kins of husband, especially brother-in-law and they can share all type of joke.