0 the relationships that exist by birth rather than through marriage
Blood ties and gender roles : adult children who care for aged parents.
Igbo political structure was largely defined by blood ties with which some patrilineal links could be established.
If civil disputes could not be resolved through networks of local ties, blood ties or occupational groups, then people sought judgement by the state.
Naturally parents wished to bequeath the household headship to those with whom they had blood ties, even if it were a daughter.
Many early factory owners, especially in textiles, had strong blood ties to some of their workers for several generations.
These are a continuing commitment to the notion of family alongside and indeed intertwined with a commitment to blood ties.
The fate of infertile women is indicative, as they remain isolated within the group, unable to forge blood ties with it.
What this seems to suggest to us is that however loose-knit the network of the new extended family, the availability of care and support will depend on generational blood ties.
