relatedness means the relationship that unites people according to their genetic links or by affinity. It is the connection that exists between people who belong to the same family.
The degrees of kinship can happen in two ways: by blood relationship (natural relationship) or by affinity (blood relationship).
blood relatedness
Blood bonding (or consanguinity) occurs when people genetically belong to the same family. It is the kinship link that exists because of a connection called an ancestral trunk.
Blood kinship, according to how it happens, is subdivided into two types: straight kinship and kinship in collateral line.
straight kinship
The straight line relationship is the scale of the straight relationship that it exists directly between parents and children (ascendants and descendants). In this case, the degrees of relatedness must be verified according to the generation count.
The definition for straight-line kinship is classified as follows:
- ascending line: 1st degree (parents), 2nd degree (grandparents), 3rd degree (great-grandparents) and 4th degree (great-grandparents).
- Downline: 1st degree (children), 2nd degree (grandchildren), 3rd degree (great-grandchildren) and 4th degree (great children).
kinship in collateral line
Collateral line kinship refers to relatives who belong to the same family unit, but who are not descendants of each other.
In this situation, the count starts from the 2nd degree of kinship, as there are no 1st degree relatives in the collateral line. Look:
- 2nd degree: (brothers).
- 3rd degree (uncles and nephews).
- 4th degree (great uncles, cousins and great-nephews).
degree of kinship by affinity
Kinship by affinity happens through other situations, such as family ties that occur through marriages, stable unions and adoptions.
The kinship ties that originate from the occurrence of a marriage or a stable union are restricted to parents, children and siblings partner or spouse.
As with blood kinship, affinity kinship is also subdivided into straight line and collateral line.
- Straight line: in-laws, sons-in-law or daughters-in-law and stepchildren (1st degree).
- collateral line: coined (2nd degree).
degree of kinship in law
The degrees of kinship are very important in the field of Law, especially in the area of Family Law, because are related to issues such as: inheritance rights, marriages, sharing of assets and production of evidence in lawsuits judicial proceedings.
For example: according to the Civil Code, spouses, parents, children and collateral relatives up to the 3rd degree cannot be witnesses in a case. The law allows for some exceptions, but the general rule is that these people are not admitted as witnesses in their relatives' cases.
It is important to know that, for the purposes of recognizing rights and duties, the law considers the degrees of kinship, both in a straight line and in a collateral line, only up to 4th grade.
Kinship and nepotism
The verification of the degrees of kinship is also important to avoid the occurrence of situations of nepotism, which is the favoring of relatives in the occupation and in the appointment of public positions.
In Brazil, the practice of nepotism in the federal government is prohibited, in accordance with law nº 7.203/10.
Learn more about Nepotism and also see the meanings of Civil right it's from Family.