The Diverse Forms of the Family

The family is not a single, fixed institution. Across societies, it takes remarkably different forms depending on how a society organises residence after marriage, how it passes on property, and who holds authority.

Rules of Residence

A key way families differ is where the newly married couple lives.

• Matrilocal residence: The couple stays with the woman’s parents. This arrangement is found in societies where women’s kinship ties remain central.
• Patrilocal residence: The couple lives with the man’s parents. This is far more common globally and is the norm in most parts of India.

Rules of Inheritance

Who inherits property — and through which line — defines another major axis of variation.

• Matrilineal societies: Property passes from mother to daughter. The line of descent runs through women.
• Patrilineal societies: Property passes from father to son. The line of descent runs through men.

Structures of Authority

The most familiar pattern is patriarchy, where men exercise authority and dominance within the family and in society at large.

The counterpart is matriarchy, where women would play a similarly dominant role. Here a crucial point must be understood: matriarchy is a theoretical concept, not an empirical one. There is no historical or anthropological evidence of any society where women as a group have exercised dominance over men. Matriarchy has never been found in practice. …