CULTURAL, SOCIAL,

AND POLITICAL
INSTITUTIONS
UCSP Module 5
 Lessons 1
Kinship and Marriage

Learning Competency:

Describe the organized nature of social life and rules governing behavior.
UCSP11/12HSO-IIi-21
KINSHIP

 Kinship is one of the main organizing

principles of society it is one of the basic
social institutions found in every society.
This institution establishes relationship
between individuals and groups.
 It is described as the system of how
individual is socially related to others by
marriage, birth and adoption.
Most recognized types of kinship in
the Philippines
 Consanguineal relatives or relatives by blood
– blood ties are considered so important that the opinions and
suggestions of relatives carry much weight.

 Affinal relatives or relatives by marriage

– by marriage, the wife is the affinal kin of the husband’s family
and vice versa.

 The “Pseudo-kin” means not real

a. Spiritual or Ritual relatives – relatives acquired through
ceremonies of baptism, confirmation, and wedding.
b. Fictive or Artificial relatives – relatives by attribution rather by
than birth
Why do people get married?

 Some marry for love

 Some marry for companionship
 Some marry for security
 Some marry for social status and prestige
 Some marry to have a home and children
 Some marry out of pity and moral obligation
 Some marry to escape home or to avoid being single

One of the basic social institutions is marriage which has been

viewed as “the only proper context for the full expression of the love
between one woman and one man.
Before marriage, people tend to do:

Courtship Dating Engagement

MARRIAGE

 Bogardus describes marriage as an institution consisting of a man and a

woman to live as husband and wife for the primary purpose of begetting
and rearing children.
 Lundberg says that marriage is a social unit which emphasized the rights,
duties, and privileges of husband and wife, their children, relatives, and
society at large.

 The legal point of view considers marriage as a contract between a man

and a woman to live together as husband and wife. As a state affair its
interests are:
a. To legalize the marriage contract
b. To legitimize the children born from the marriage
c. To protect the property rights of husband and wife, and children
 The Religious point of view considers marriage as sacred. To Catholics, it
is a sacrament and a holy agreement with God. It also aims to have
children, rear and educate them, and to maintain a permanent social
relationship which entails mutual responsibilities to each other.

 The Sociological view of marriage considers it as public and legal

statement whereby a man and a woman agree to share certain social and
sexual privileges and to fulfill contractual obligations.

 Under the Family Code of 1988, marriage has been defined as a special
contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in
accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.
Practices of Selecting Marriage
Partners
The choice of marriage partner today is primarily a prerogative of
the individual. Although love plays a significant role in marriage, because of
some socio-cultural and socio- psychological factors, the selection of a mate
is not entirely free. Some factors worth considering are:

 Endogamy – from the Greek work “endon” meaning “within”, this

prohibits and individual from marrying outside his/her group.

 Exogamy – prescribes that a person should marry outside of his/her own

group, his/her own family or religion. This prevents “incest taboo”
 Homogamy – this refers to the conscious or unconscious tendency to select a
mate with personal or cultural characteristics similar to one’s own, even if they
have major differences.

 Heterogamy – this refers to the human being’s tendency to choose a mate with
personal characteristics totally different from, or even opposite to, one’s own.

 Levirate – this is the practice of requiring widow to marry the brother or nearest
male relative of her deceased husband.

 Sororate – this requires the widower to marry the sister or nearest female
relative of his deceased wife.

 Propinquity – this refers to the nearness of residence, occupation, location of

work, school or church, and other forms of physical closeness.

 Buya – this is a Filipino term referring to marriage pre- arranged by the parents
for their offspring while still very young.

 Mail-order-bride system – this refers to thousands of women who leave as

“brides” every year for several countries.
Three types of Marriage
Transactions
 BRIDEWEALTH or BRIDEPRICE
- it refers to the transfer of goods or valuables from the kin group
of the groom to that of the bride, “bigay-kaya”

 BRIDESERVICE
- is a period during which a prospective groom provides labor
service to the family of the bride-to-be, for a year or so, “paninilbihan”

 DOWRY
- refers to the custom in many European societies where the
bride’s parents give some valuables to the husband.
Forms of Marriage

 Monogamy is the marriage of one man to one

woman at a time.
 Polygamy is plural marriage and many
assume either as polygyny or polyandry

a. Polygyny – is the marriage of a man to two or

more women at the same time.
b. Polyandry – is the marriage of one woman to
two or more men at the same time.
Rules of Residence

 Patrilocal residence – requires the newly married couple to

reside with, or near the domicile of the bridegroom’s parents.

 Matrilocal residence - requires the newly married couple to

reside with, or near the domicile of the bride’s parents.

 Bilocal residence – allows the newly married couple to

choose wether matrilocal or patrilocal residence.

 Neolocal residence – permits the newly married couple to

reside independently of the parents of either the groom or
bride.
 In many societies, kinship is the most
important social organizing principle along with
gender and age. It also means of transmitting
status and property from generation to
generation. It is not a mere coincidence that
inheritance rights usually based on the closeness
of kinship links. All societies use kinship as a
basis for forming social groups and for
classifying people. In order to understand social
interaction, attitudes, and motivations in most
societies, it is essential to know how these
kinship systems function.
 Lesson 2
Family and the Household
Learning Competency:

Compare different social forms of social organization according to their manifest

and latent functions. UCSP11/12HSO-IIj-22
FAMILY

The family is considered the basic unit of social

organization. It is made up of group of individuals who
are linked together by marriage, blood relations, or
adoption.

Gavin et.al (2003) defines family as a network of

people who share their lives over a long periods of time;
who are bound by ties of marriage, blood, or
commitment, legal or otherwise who consider themselves
as family; and who share future expectations of
connected relationships.
 Burant defines the family as a group of persons
who emotionally and materially support each other and
share responsibility and intimate care regardless of how
they cohabit.

The first socialization of the individuals takes

place in the family. This particular socialization is
responsible for the development of the children’s
personality and the formation of their cultural and social
values.
HOUSEHOLD

A household is a group of people who love

in the same house but do not necessarily
compose a family.

In the Philippines, a household may

consists of a family when it includes the husband,
a wife, their unmarried children, and their
relatives. This composition is called the extended
family household.
THE FAMILY COMPOSITION

 THE CONJUGAL FAMILY

- composed of only the husband and the wife, such as a childless
or newly-wed couple.

 THE NUCLEAR FAMILY

- composed of a husband (father) and his wife (mother) and their
children in a union recognized by the society.

a. Family of Orientation – which is the family where we are born and

reared.
b. Family of Procreation – which is the family that we build or establish
by marriage.
 THE COMPOSITE OR COMPOUND
FAMILY
- are formed when the nuclear families are
combined.

 THE EXTENDED FAMILY

- is composed of two or more nuclear
families living in the same home, economically
and socially related to each other.
BASIC FUNCTION OF A FAMILY

 REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION
- In the Philippines, the reproductive function is
highly regarded because children are highly valued. The
children are expected to help in household chores, share
their earnings once employed and take care of their
parents in old age.

 BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION
- This function involves provisions of adequate
food, clothing, shelter and other human basic needs. The
survival of the family members are its primary concern.
 AFFECTIONAL FUNCTION
- The family promotes companionship and provides a
mutual expression of affection and love. Affection requires
admiration and approval.

 SOCIALIZATION FUNCTION
- The family transmits the culture of the group by
inculcating the norms, values and beliefs of the members of the
family. It is through socialization that the family member becomes
a functioning member of the society.

 STATUS PLACEMENT
- The children’s position in the society is determined by
their family’s standing or social status. In the Philippine society, a
person is judged not only by what he/she is as a person but also by
his/her family’s reputation.
 ECONOMIC FUNCTION
- Children are dependent on their parents for
support until they can provide for themselves.

 RECREATIONAL FUNCTION
- The family has to provide guidance and counsel
to their children in the choice of recreational activities.

 SOCIAL CONTROL FUNCTION

- The family regulates the social contracts and
experiences of the young. Children are required to strictly
obey the rules the family has imposed on them.
 RELIGIOUS FUNCTION
- The family teaches the children the respect for
God and provides basic orientation on norms and
morality.

 EDUCATION FUNCTION
- The family is the “first school” of the young. It
provides both formal and informal education to the
children to make them functioning and successful
members of society.
DESCENT GROUPS: to whom we
are related?

Descent is a cultural rule that ties together

people who believe they have common ancestors.
Members of a descent group trace their
connections back to a common ancestors through
a chain of parent-child links. Membership is
determined at birth. So, it is an ascribed status.
 UNILINEAL DESCENT
- establishes group membership exclusively
through either the mother’s or the father’s line. So, there
is only one parental line.

 BILINEAL DESCENT
- links a person to both parents at the same time.
In the Philippines, the naming system is called
“patronymic” where the husband-father’s surname is
followed. This system recognizes the significance of
patrilineal descent of the Filipino family. Bur Filipinos
retain their middle initials, which represent the maternal
name.
 LINEAGE
- is a descent group composed of consanguineal
relatives who trace their relationship through one
common ancestor and can trace their genealogical links
to it.

 CLAN
- is a descent group whose members believe they
have a common ancestor but cannot trace their
genealogical links to it because clan is too large.
 Our families are where we experience our biggest
triumphs and our deepest vulnerabilities-and they are
where we have the greatest potential to do well. We
believe the family is divine in nature and that God
designates it as the fundamental building block of society,
both on earth and through eternity. As such as, it becomes
the foundation for civilization and a sanctuary for the
individual. It is where we learn the social graces of
loyalty, cooperation, and trust. It is where we learn to
love ourselves and each other, to bear one another’s
burdens, to find meaning in our life and to give purpose
to other’s lives, and to feel the value of being part of
something greater than ourselves.
 Lesson 3:
Political and
Leadership Structures
Learning Competency:

Analyze social and political structures. UCSP11/12HSO-IIj-23

 Human beings are considered social
animals. Being such, they have a natural
tendency to join groups. However, considering
that individuals have different interest, the
tendency towards conflict is a natural as the
tendency to join social groups. Thus, there is a
need to establish a political system where power
structures are defined to ensure that conflicts are
managed. It is in this regard that it is important to
understand how individuals have organized
themselves into social and political groups or
communities.
Band and Tribes

 Bands and tribes are considered as the simplest political

systems. They are often perceived to be “acephalous” or
without a well-defined system of leadership.

 A band is typically formed by several families living together

based on marriage ties, common descendants, friendship
affiliations, and members usually have a common interest, or
enemy. Thus, the main source of integration is kinship either
by blood or affinity. The power structure within the band is
less hierarchical as member families are seen to be equal and
there is no class differentiation based on wealth. Status, if
present is a functional of age or gender.
 As bands increase the size, the tendency for
conflict increases, which lead to the band splitting along
family lines. This process is known as “band fissioning”.
Eventually, this could lead to some leaving the band to
form their own, which is referred to as “social velocity”.
Evidence suggests that eventual break-up is the presence
of social discord that the informal leadership system
could no longer contain. At present, there is practically no
band that remains intact.
 A band that survives fissioning and social velocity,
even as it experiences increasing population and a shift
from a foraging and hunting community, to one there is
now a presence of multiple communities engaged in
pastoral or horticultural forms of livelihood, eventually
becomes a tribe. A tribe is still considered an
acephalous political system; even it is more complex
than a band. This complexity results from the fact that
the source of integration is no longer simply by
informal forms of leadership presiding to govern
kinship ties or friendship, but by more elaborate way of
organizing to settle conflicts to prevent the society
from breaking apart.
Chiefdoms

 is defined as a political organization that is more defined. In

chiefdom, formal leadership exist authority rests solely on the
members of a select family. It is composed of a number of
communities that is ruled by a permanent paramount chief
coming from this elite family. Power is thus inherited in
chiefdoms.
 The social structure in chiefdoms is hierarchical. Social
classes exist and are differentiated according to the level of
their power in relation to the permanent ruler. However, class
mobility can exist. It usually happens when one performs an
extraordinary task or achievement. Furthermore, social status
is affected by marriage, age and sex.
Chiefdoms can either be simple or
complex
 Simple Chiefdom
- central village is ruled by a single family. A
number of smaller communities surround this smaller
community, with each being headed by a subsidiary
leader subservient to the central ruler.

 Complex Chiefdom
- several simple chiefdoms ruled a single
paramount chief residing in a single paramount center.
Highly structured and hierarchical political system with a
class system where the elites demand tribute from the
commoner (tributary system)
Nation and State

NATION
- is a large body of people united by
common origin, history, culture, ethnicity, or
language.
- a nation is formed by factors like common
race, common language, common culture,
common history, common territory, and more. But
none of these are absolute essentials. For example,
a nation can survive without a territory, but the
desire for common territory may unite the nation.
- nation is not a legal entity.
STATE
- is an independent political entity with
clear geographic boundaries.
- is a territory considered as an organized
political community under one government.
- it is dependent or subordinate to any
other state.
- has four (4) elements
 Territory
 Population
 Government
 Sovereignty
Summary

 Nation is a large body of people united by common

origin, history, culture, ethnicity, or language.

 A State is an independent political entity with clear

geographic boundaries.

 The main difference between state and nation is that

state is political and legal entity whereas nation is
a socio-cultural entity.
 STATE NATION
An independent political entity A large body of people united by
with fixed geographic boundaries common origin, history, culture,
ethnicity, or language
Refers to a territory Refers to a group of people
Has a fixed territory Doesn’t have a fixed territory
A political legal entity A socio-cultural entity
Cannot exist without sovereignty Can exist without sovereignty
United by laws and regulations United by binds and shared
history
Performance Task:

 Trace your descent group and create a family tree.

Use ¼ or ½ illustration board for this.