Final answer:
Patrilineal descent and patrilocality refer to a system where individuals trace their lineage through their father's line and wives live with or near their husband's family, often disadvantaging women. In contrast, matrilineal descent traces through the mother's line, and matrilocal residence involves the couple living near the bride's family, providing her with a support system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The links between residence and descent patterns, particularly patrilineal descent and patrilocality or virilocality, revolve around societal norms regarding family and inheritance. In patrilineal descent, a system of unilateral descent, individuals trace their lineage through their father's line only. As a result, patrilocality becomes a common marital residence pattern in patrilineal societies, where it is customary for a wife to live with or near her husband's family after marriage. This arrangement can often be disadvantageous to women because it places them as outsiders in the community and separates them from their own blood relatives.
Conversely, matrilineal descent, which is prevalent in certain Native American societies and other cultures around the world, traces inheritance and familial ties through the mother's line. In these societies, matrilocal residence is where a newly married couple establishes their home with or near the bride's maternal family. This pattern affirms the woman's place in her own family, even after marriage, providing her with a support system. Despite the predominance of patrilineal and patrilocal systems in many parts of the world, matrilineal and matrilocal arrangements offer an alternate form of family organization and inheritance.