Matrilineal means descent is traced through which line?

• A. Male line
• B. Female line
• C. Both male and female
• D. It varies by culture

Answer: (B)

Kinship and lineage determine how descent is traced in a society. Matrilineal means descent is traced through the female line: your ancestry, clan membership, and often inheritance are tied to your mother’s side. So you belong to your mother's lineage rather than your father's. If descent were traced through the male line, that would be patrilineal, and tracing through both sides describes other kinship systems; the term matrilineal specifically points to the feminine line.