Descent_And_Authority_System represents the fundamental organisational principles that govern how societies trace lineage, distribute power, and structure social hierarchies within family and broader social contexts. This class encompasses both the mechanisms for determining kinship affiliation and inheritance rights (patrilineal and matrilineal descent) and the systems of social authority and control (patriarchy and matriarchy). These systems are interconnected as descent patterns often correlate with authority structures, creating comprehensive frameworks for organizing social relationships, property transmission, and decision-making processes. The variation within this class reflects different cultural solutions to questions of social organisation, gender roles, and intergenerational continuity, demonstrating how societies balance competing needs for stability, legitimacy, and social reproduction.