Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does double unilineal descent assign different inheritance rights to maternal and paternal lines?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Large illustrated genealogical tree with detailed branches and leaves, featuring family names and a central family crest, representing the Lippincott family lineage. — Genealogy Genealogical tree of the Richard and Abigail Lippincott family in America, constructed and published by Charles Lippincott, 1880.

In anthropology, double unilineal descent (or double descent) is a system where an individual belongs to both their father’s patrilineage and their mother’s matrilineage, with each line carrying distinct social expectations, rights, and obligations.12

Rather than treating both sides of the family as equal, the system assigns specific, non-overlapping domains of inheritance and responsibility to each lineage. For example, a society might designate the patrilineage as the authority for the inheritance of immovable property, such as land, while the matrilineage holds control over the inheritance of movable assets, such as livestock.2

By separating these interests, double descent allows a culture to maintain two separate sets of kinship ties simultaneously, ensuring that different types of property or social duties are managed by the appropriate ancestral group.2