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Sociology vocabulary · Family, Gender and the Life Course

Kinship

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/ˈkɪnʃɪp/nounCommon term

In sociology, kinship means: The network of relationships between people based on descent, marriage or adoption, together with the rules and obligations that come with them.

In Turkish: akrabalık, akrabalık ilişkileri

How it is used

A classic topic in anthropology and the sociology of the family. Researchers talk about kinship ties, kinship networks and kinship systems such as patrilineal descent (through the father's line) and matrilineal descent (through the mother's line).

Example sentences

  1. Kinship networks helped new migrants find housing and jobs in the city.

  2. Anthropologists have recorded very different kinship systems around the world.

Common collocations

  • kinship ties
  • kinship network
  • kinship system
  • fictive kinship
  • familyA group of people related by blood, marriage, partnership or adoption who usually share a home, resources and responsibility for raising children.
  • extended familyA family that includes relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins, who live together or keep close daily contact.
  • social networkA set of relationships linking people, groups or organisations, through which information, support and resources can flow.
  • social capitalThe resources people can access through their social networks and relationships, such as information, support, trust and useful contacts.

More terms: Family, Gender and the Life Course

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