Matrilocal system refers to which rule in kinship?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Rule of Residence
Option (1) Rule of Residence — Correct. A rule of residence says where a newly married couple lives. In a matrilocal society the couple stays with the woman’s parents; in a patrilocal society it lives with the man’s parents.
Option (2) Rule of Marriage — Incorrect. Rules of marriage decide whom one may marry, for example the rule of endogamy, which restricts marriage to members of one’s own group. They do not decide where the couple lives after the wedding.
Option (3) Rule of Inheritance — Incorrect. Rules of inheritance decide who receives property: in matrilineal societies it passes from mother to daughter, in patrilineal ones from father to son. Matrilocal concerns residence, not property.
Option (4) Rule of Lineage — Incorrect. Lineage, or the line of descent, decides whose family line a child belongs to, the mother’s (matrilineal) or the father’s (patrilineal). It is about descent, not about where the couple lives.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Diverse Forms of the Family Studies have shown how diverse family forms are found in different societies. With regard to the rule of residence, some societies are matrilocal in their marriage and family customs while others are patrilocal. In the first case, the newly married couple stays with the woman’s parents, whereas in the second case the couple lives with the man’s parents. With regard to the rules of inheritance, matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter while patrilineal societies do so from father to son.…” |