Arts & Culture
Kinship and Descent Systems Across Human Societies
Quick fact
In many societies around the world, descent is traced through only one parent's line. For example, in matrilineal societies, children belong to the mother's lineage, and inheritance and clan membership pass through the female line—yet the actual power often still sits with the mother's brother, not her husband.
Why this is interesting
We all think we know what a family is—but did you know that in some cultures, your closest relatives are not your biological parents or children? The rules that decide who counts as family vary wildly across the world.