SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

• Family refers to a group of people who are related by blood, marriage or adoption living together as one unit.
• According to Ginsberg, institutions may be described as recognised or established usages governing relations between individuals and groups.
• Institutions may be defined as the established forms or conditions of procedure and characteristics of group activity.
• An institution can be defined as a set of interwoven folkways, mores and laws built around one or more functions.
• institutions represent the social structure and machinery though which human society organises, directs and executes multifarious activities required to satisfy human needs.
• Institutions may be defined as the habitual ways of living together which are being sanctioned, systemised and established by the authority of a community.
• Kinship is the bond of blood or marriage which binds people together in a group.
• According to the Dictionary of Anthropology, the kinship system includes socially recognised relationships based on supposed as well as genealogical ties.
• Affinal kin refers to relation by marriage, law or social contract.
• Consanguineous kin refers to relations by blood, family ties and direct relations.
• An ego's kindred would consist of all the relatives who would be expected to be called for one's marriage or funeral. This relationship is relaxed and not duty-bound.
• Husband/wife is an example of primary kin.
• Brother-in-law is an example of secondary kin.
• Tertiary kinship refers to the primary kin of a primary kin's primary kin or secondary kin of primary kin or primary kin of secondary kin.
• Patrilineal kin (agnatic) is male-centric.
• The Kikuyu family of Kenya are an example of patrilineal descent.
• Matrilineal kin (uterine) is female-centric.
• Zuni of New Mexico, Garos and Khasis are examples of matrilineal descent.
• In a matrilocal residence, the groom moves to the wife's residence after marriage.
• In a patrilocal residence, the wife moves to the husband's residence after marriage.
• Avunculocal residence occurs when the man obtains statuses, and jobs from the nearest elder matrilineal male relative.
• Avoidance refers to the usage that dictates that two kin, normally of opposite sex, should avoid interaction with each other.
• Joking relationship involves a particular combination of friendliness and antagonism between individuals and groups in certain social situations. In these social situations, one individual or group is allowed to mock or ridicule the other without offence being taken.
• In Teknonymy, the kin is not referred to directly but through another kin to maintain respect and boundaries.
• Avunculate is the kinship usage wherein responsibilities and obligations rest with the mother's brother (maternal uncle).
• Amitate is the kinship usage wherein the father's sister is given more importance and respect than the mother. It is most prevalent in patrilineal societies.
• Couvade is the kinship usage wherein the husband leads the life of an invalid whenever the wife gets pregnant.
• The kinship usage couvade helps cement the bond of married life and is a social mechanism designed to secure paternal affection.
• Marriage is a relatively permanent bond between permissible mates.
• Marriage is the more or less durable connection between male and female lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till after the birth of offspring.
• Marriage is a socially-sanctioned sex relationship involving two or more people of the opposite sex, whose relationship is expected to endure beyond the time required for gestation and birth of children
• According to Alfred McClung Lee, marriage is the public joining together under socially specified regulations of a man and woman as husband and wife.
• According to Malinowski, marriage is a contract for the production and maintenance of children.
• Cross-cousin marriage is also called lineage exogamy.
• Parallel-cousin marriage is also called lineage endogamy.
• Levirate is the practice of a man marrying the widow of a deceased brother.
• Sororate is the practice of a woman marrying the husband of her deceased sister.
• To prevent a woman from losing her caste and becoming ritually impure, Manu and other ancient lawgivers prescribed hypergamous marriage under which a man can marry from his own class or from below, but a woman can only marry in her caste or higher.
• According to MacIver, family is a group defined by a sex relationship sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children.
• Family is a more or less durable association of husband and wife with or without children or of man and woman alone, with children.