Question

question 9
2 pts
which of the following are observations about kinship?
o different societies have chosen to highlight some features of the universal human
experiences of mating, birth and nurturance, while downplaying or ignoring others.
o kinship is reducible to biology.
o patrilineal descent makes more sense than matrilineal descent, given what is known
about mating and birth.
o kinship is a difficult and complex set of rules that societies follow.

Explanation:

• Kinship is a social construct. Different societies emphasize different aspects of mating, birth, and nurturance. For example, some might focus more on blood - based ties (like in some patrilineal or matrilineal systems), while others might include fictive kin (like godparents in some cultures).
• Kinship is not just biology. There are many cultures where adopted children or those taken in through other non - biological means are considered full - fledged kin. So, the statement “Kinship is reducible to biology” is incorrect.
• There is no objective sense in which patrilineal descent “makes more sense” than matrilineal descent. These are cultural choices. Matrilineal societies have their own valid social, economic, and cultural reasons for their kinship systems, just as patrilineal ones do.
• Kinship is indeed a complex set of rules. It involves rules about inheritance, marriage (e.g., who is in - group and out - group for marriage), and social support systems.

Answer:

• Different societies have chosen to highlight some features of the universal human experiences of mating, birth and nurturance, while downplaying or ignoring others.
• Kinship is a difficult and complex set of rules that societies follow.