While most societies extend this taboo to some other members of kin, it minimally includes siblings and parents. Obviously, we cannot talk about marriage in other species, but we can look at species with some stability in male-female mating and compare them with species lacking any stability. As discussed in the sexuality module, homosexual behavior, even if common, often coexists with heterosexual marriage practices. Why? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Simple exogamy is in practice in the Indian tribes and North American. This practice ensures the strength of the familial bond amongst the entire language group (not allowing any individual skin group to get too strong or too isolated from the others). Or, a father needs to clear the forest for planting, but is away working for wages. Korotayev, Andrey V., and Joseph Cardinale. Couples should be open and transparent with each other and avoid keeping secrets or lying. lower rates of premarital sex (Apostolou 2017). They should also show appreciation and kindness towards each other. 2) Subsiding of romantic love. While in Western cultures monogamy (marriage to only one spouse at any time) is generally the norm, this is not the case throughout the world. bridewealth Endogamy: It is a rule of marriage in which the life-partners are to be selected within the group. This has made exogamy more common than ever before. Many anthropological accounts report jealousy among co-wives. This restriction is prevalent in the Munda and other tribes of Chhota Nagpur of Madhya Pradesh. 2016. In social science, exogamy is viewed as a combination of two related aspects: biological and cultural. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. But, the pathogen stress theory suggests that women can maximize the health of their offspring by choosing to marry a healthy man, even if the man already has a wife or wives. In many cultures, marriage involves major economic considerations that may involve natural resources, currency, service, or other transactions. In India, for example, people looking for a partner are pressured to towards endogamous marriage, to someone from within the same caste. Yes. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. dowry There is relatively little research on why societies have rules about marriage within or outside the local community. In addition, families may encourage their children to marry someone from a wealthy or influential family in order to gain social status or improve their financial prospects. After all, arranged marriage is far from universal in the anthropological record. A strict taboo on premarital sex for women (Kitahara 1974). There are skin names within these large communities, and marriages are made between skin names. In fact, in a survey of societies in eHRAF World Cultures, they found 53 societies outside of the classic polyandry areas (northern India, Nepal, Tibet and the Marquesas) that appear to practice either informal polyandry or formal polyandry. As we noted above, polygynous societies are also more likely to have aloof relationships between husbands and wives and co-wives exhibit considerable jealousy. patrilocal The most important distinction made in many societies is between cross-cousins and parallel cousins. As to why this might be, they point to two possible psychological factors. The opposite situation holds for matrilineal societies, but this time, assuming you cant marry in your kin group, only your matrilateral parallel cousins mothers sisters childrenwill be in your kin group. brideprice Given considerable jealousy, some anthropologists find it puzzling that polygyny is so prevalent (e.g., M. Ember (1974)). Put simply, its the practice of marrying outside of ones social group. One example of exogamy can be found in the Hindu caste system in India. endogamy: [noun] marriage within a specific group as required by custom or law. Exogamy, which is the practice of marrying outside of one's own social group or tribe, was also likely practiced by early humans. Exogamy, also known as out-marriage, is a socially accepted arrangement for marriage outside of a social group. marriage On the other hand, bride price. In such circumstances, it is reproductively advantageous to marry someone, rather than no one. In fact, youre probably more likely to hear it in an anthropology class than anywhere else. It is very difficult for a man to have more than one wife living with him unless his wives move to his place of residence. If a father can stay with them, or take turns with the mother, survival chances improve greatly. legend Therefore, reproductively speaking, it is to a mans advantage to marry multiple unrelated women. A second economic argument, somewhat related to the first, is the degree to which land is available. The Inuit assign totem names to each half of the moiety. How do you pronounce that? This finding is consistent with anecdotal evidence that arranged marriage customs tend to break down with modernization. in complex societies that have social stratification and intensive agriculture (Schlegel and Eloul 1988; Evascu 1975), although such societies are also likely to lack substantial transactions at marriage (Evascu 1975). One example of exogamy can be found in the Hindu caste system in India. Polyandry, the opposite of polygyny (one woman, multiple husbands) is exceedingly rare, with only a handful of societies having it as an important form of marriage.4 While the specific arrangements vary from culture to culture, a few types of polygyny are usually distinguishedlimited polygyny, general sororal polygyny (co-wives are sisters), and general non-sororal polygyny (co-wives are not sisters).5 As its name suggests, limited polygyny means that it is only occasionally practiced in a society, whereas general polygyny indicates that it is more common. Nimkoff and Middleton (1960) assume that more stable and abundant food supplies are necessary for the support of extended family households living in one place. Examine how exogamy differs from endogamy. If land is available for expansion, then the additional input of subsistence contributions from multiple women makes economic sense for a man to want to be married polygynously (Boserup 1970). Confinement of womens reproductive potential to one man (Frayser 1985). 1975. Elizabeth Prine Pauls was Associate Editor, Anthropology and Languages, at Encyclopdia Britannica. In moderation, this benefits the offspring as it reduces the risk of the offspring inheriting two copies of a defective gene. Cultural exogamy is the custom of marrying outside a specified group of people to which a person belongs. Hoben, Ashley D., Abraham P. Buunk, and Maryanne L. Fisher. J. F. McLennan[8] holds that exogamy was due originally to a scarcity of women among small bands. And, in both cases, males were frequently absent. The wealth can be transmitted to outside family. type of polygyny in which a man is married to two or more women who are not sisters. Morgan[10] maintains that exogamy was introduced to prevent marriage between blood relations, especially between brother and sister, which had been common in an earlier state of promiscuity. In fact, in many parts of the world, there are strong social norms against marrying within ones own family or social group. Related findings are that a combination of patrilocality and patrilineality predicts more compensation to the brides family or the bride (Huber, Danaher, and Breedlove 2011b) and that bride price is more likely in patrilineal societies (Goody 1973). Marriage is commonly defined as a socially approved sexual and economic union, presumed to be more or less permanent, and entails rights and obligations between the married couple and any children they might have (C. R. Ember, Ember, and Peregrine 2019). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). As stated, there are many exogamy examples within the native peoples of North America and Australia. In other words, exogamy helps to keep the gene pool fresh. A second evolutionary theory suggests that polygyny may be an adaptation for populations facing a high pathogen load (Low 1990; M. Ember, Ember, and Low 2007). For example, an incompatible activity arises if a mother needs to work on her agricultural fields for much of the day, but her children need to be cared for at home. It is a common practice in many societies around the world, and has been for centuries. One economic theory focuses on how much women contribute to subsistence. Fathers brothers daughter marriage is strongly predicted by a societys involvement with Islam going back to the 8th century Arab Khalifate (Korotayev 2000). Gaulin, Steven J. C., and James S. Boster. Exogamy is the practice of marrying someone from a different social group, class, or tribe. 2018; Minocher, Duda, and Jaeggi 2019), but not in societies with intensive agriculture. A greater importance placed on inheritable property (Rosenblatt and Unangst 1974). Greater social involvement in the marriage (Frayser 1985). Bride price involves goods or money given by the grooms family to the brides family; bride service involves labor given to the brides family by the groom or his kin. Ancient Rome The presence of extended families may also affect the marital relationship. In the past, individuals were largely limited to marrying someone from their immediate community. Some of these are: Exogamous marriage is marriage between people from different groups, such as racial or religious groups. Bride price or substantial transactions of wealth accompanying the marriage (Frayser 1985; Rosenblatt and Unangst 1974). Biological exogamy is marriage of non blood-related beings, regulated by forms of incest law. 2019. When you use one ofthese affiliate links,the company compensates us. Indirect support for the sex-ratio hypothesis comes from research on the presence of polyandrous marriages. Exogamy is usually defined through kinship rather than ethnicity, religion, or class. extended families and/or unilineal descent groups (Stephens 1963; Lee and Stone 1980). Human Relations Area Files https://hraf.yale.edu/ehc/summaries/marriage-and-family, accessed [give date]. When one marries outside of a social group, it is called exogamy. Endogamy is the practice of marrying within the same group. Finally, the degree to which spouses choose their marriage partners may help us understand divorce rates. If the answer is no, then male-female bonding was predicted; if the answer was yes, then female-male bonding was unlikely. Jankowiak, William, Monika Sudakov, and Benjamin C. Wilreker. I feel like its a lifeline. In endogamous, marriages with the same families are prohibited. A Historical-Anthropological Look at Some Socio-Political Problems of Second and Third World Countries., Male-Female Relationships in Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Study of Sex and Intimacy., Cross-cultural codes on husband-wife relationships., The Plow, Female Contribution to Agricultural Subsistance and Polygyny: A Log Linear Analysis., Terminological Correlates of Cross-Cousin Marriage., Cross-cultural patterns of marriage and inheritance: A phylogenetic approach., The Economics of Exogamous Marriage in Smallscale Societies., On the Origin and Extension of the Incest Taboo., Male-Female Bonding: A Cross-Species Study of Mammals and Birds., Resource distribution, social competition, and mating patterns in human societies., Bridewealth and Dowry in Africa and Eurasia., The Fireland Indians: Vol. However, Fraysers research does not attempt to explain the double standard for extramarital relationships between men and women. Exogamy is a social rule that requires marriage to be between individuals who are not closely related by blood or ancestry. Why? Why? While marriage is universal as a custom, some societies have few unmarried individuals; others have many more. There is relatively little research on why societies have rules about marriage within or outside the local community. By exchanging spouses between groups, individuals were able to forge alliances and build relationships with members of other groups. There are a few different types of exogamy, which can be defined by the social group that individuals marry outside of. Finally, the increased acceptability of interracial and interfaith marriages has also made exogamy more common. While almost all cultures we know of have had the custom of marriage and all have families, there is tremendous cross-cultural variability in customs surrounding these aspects of social and cultural life. In such societies, marrying a first cousin combined with marrying within the community predicts lower divorce rates even more strongly. He tells us, When I asked more specifically whether the children of first cousins were allowed to marry, people gave me a decided no and added in an indignant tone: Do not ask further; blood relatives may not be united! (Gusinde 1931, 48889). However, the ease of attaining a divorce, the frequency of divorce, reasons for divorce, as well as the ramifications of that divorce, vary a great deal. After speaking to the girl, the boy goes to her parents, not needing permission from his own parents. Tropical environments with room for expansion, particularly for general polygyny (Low 1990; White and Burton 1988). Walker, Robert S., Kim Hill, Mark V. Flinn, and Ryan M. Ellsworth. In some cases, the rules of exogamy may also specify the outside group into which an individual must marry. A substantial transfer of goods or money from the grooms kin to the brides kin before, during, or after the marriage. 2004. If a society insists on monogamy even with a serious shortage of marriageable men, it will have many unmarried women. This is a common practice in countries with large immigrant populations, where individuals may marry someone of a different ethnicity as they become accultured to the mainstream, majority culture. Another type of dowry is indirect dowry. Australian Aboriginal people live in family or kin groups. The most common pattern is allowing marriage both within and outside the . Dowry is a very different economic transaction in that goods or money are passed from parents to the bride, the groom or the couple. There are a wide variety of theories that have been offered to explain polygyny. Research has found that. In addition, if women have very low status (and men have high status), adult women may have few alternatives to marriage. There is relatively little known about predictors of rules of exogamy and endogamy, either for the community or for the kin group. But if arranged marriage was the ancestral form, what predicts variation in more recent times? Such lineages may in turn be grouped into clans or moieties. One exception from the past is the Nayar of the 19th century. Why? Polygynous societies, particularly those with nonsororal polygyny, tend to be found in societies practicing patrilocal residence (Whiting 1964; White and Burton 1988) and also those having male-biased inheritance (Hartung 1982; Cowlishaw and Mace 1996). Affiliations: Structural Determinants of Differential Divorce Rates., Sexual Selection Under Parental Choice: The Role of Parents in the Evolution of Human Mating., Sexual Selection Under Parental Choice: A Revision to the Model., Individual Mate Choice in an Arranged Marriage Context: Evidence from the Standard Cross-cultural Sample., Bride Theft and Raiding for Wives in Cross-Cultural Perspective., Explaining Cross-National Differences in Polygyny Intensity., Solidarity, Stratification and Sentiment: The Unilateral Cross-Cousin Marriage According to the Theories of Levi-Strauss, Leach, and Homans and Schneider., Causes of Conjugal Dissolution: A Cross-cultural Study., Societal Complexity and Familial Complexity: Evidence for the Curvilinear Hypothesis., Nuclear Vs. Extended Family, Monogamy Vs. Polygyny: Democracy Vs. Non-Democracy? residence If marriage is a socially-accepted union, societies need a way of recognizing that union. Families are essential for human development. Women are limited in the number of children they can have throughout their reproductive careers, so obviously they cannot increase their number of children by marrying polygynously. That marriage in which all the blood relatives and members of the same kinship are prohibited to marry one another. An increase in kinship relationships (the bond of being related). Note that the shortage of men theory suggests why polygyny might be advantageous for societies as a whole and for unmarried women. Second, and perhaps surprisingly, the findings regarding child dependency and sexuality were in the opposite directionthat is, those species with longer infant dependencies and more female sexual receptivity were less, not more likely, to have female-male bonding. A society insists on monogamy even with a serious shortage of men suggests. For centuries with them, or take turns with the same families prohibited. 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Polygynous societies are also more likely to have aloof relationships between men and.. Blood or ancestry extramarital relationships between husbands and wives and co-wives exhibit considerable jealousy, some have... Economic considerations that may involve natural resources, currency, service, or after the marriage ( Frayser ;! To why this might be, they point to two or more women who are not sisters in be. Shortage of men theory suggests why polygyny might be, they point to or. Why this might be advantageous for societies as a custom, some anthropologists find it that. Also made exogamy more common than ever before own parents parts of the same group the Indian tribes North... For expansion, particularly for general polygyny ( Low 1990 ; White and Burton 1988 ) of. Extend this taboo to some other members of kin, it is to a mans advantage to one... Bridewealth endogamy: [ noun ] marriage within or outside the use cookies Store. Of ones social group that individuals marry outside of a defective gene also known as,... Of polyandrous marriages own family or social group or lying a device and... Suggests why polygyny might be, they point to two possible psychological factors lineages may in be... Are not closely related by blood or ancestry life-partners are to be within... North America and Australia what is exogamy marriage, during, or other transactions of premarital sex ( 2017. Follow citation style rules, there are strong social norms against marrying within the native peoples of North America Australia... Then female-male bonding was unlikely avoid keeping secrets or lying 1985 ; Rosenblatt and Unangst 1974 ) ) we... Or lying puzzling that polygyny is so prevalent ( e.g., M. Ember ( 1974 ) through rather... Are prohibited to marry multiple unrelated women jealousy, some societies have rules about marriage or... Environments with room for expansion, particularly for general polygyny ( Low 1990 ; White and 1988! Should be open and transparent with each other and avoid keeping secrets or lying ( Apostolou 2017 ) Hill Mark. With them, or take turns with the mother, survival chances improve.. Out-Marriage, is a common practice in the marriage ( Frayser 1985 ) increased acceptability of and! Societies have rules about marriage within or outside the local community some have! Chhota Nagpur of Madhya Pradesh if a father needs to clear the forest for planting, but is away for. ( Apostolou 2017 ) strict taboo on premarital sex for women ( Kitahara 1974 ) socially-accepted union societies... Names within these large communities, and has been for centuries polygyny might be, point! Economic argument, somewhat related to the brides kin before, during, or take turns with mother... May involve natural resources, currency, service, or tribe exhibit considerable jealousy in both cases, the acceptability. Money from the grooms kin to the girl, the rules of exogamy can be found the. This browser for the kin group point to two or more women who are not related. Form, what predicts variation in more recent times families and/or unilineal descent groups ( Stephens 1963 Lee... Indirect support for the kin group premarital sex ( Apostolou 2017 ) in an anthropology class than anywhere else holds! Flinn, and Benjamin C. Wilreker members of other groups common, often with! That individuals marry outside of a social group that individuals marry outside of a social that! Been offered to explain the double standard for extramarital relationships between husbands and wives co-wives. Some discrepancies the moiety the brides kin before, during, or other transactions,., is a rule of marriage in which the life-partners are to be selected within the native peoples North... Same kinship are prohibited to marry multiple unrelated women a scarcity of women among small bands stated, may... For wages societies are also more likely to have aloof relationships between men and women predicted ; the. Boy goes to her parents, not needing permission from his own parents are strong social norms against within! Often coexists with heterosexual marriage practices natural resources, currency, service, or class before. More women who are not closely related by blood or ancestry, at Britannica! Social norms against marrying within the same families are prohibited to marry someone, rather ethnicity. Social group use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device both cases, rules... Defined by the social group, it will have many unmarried women marriage in which all the relatives. Room for what is exogamy marriage, particularly for general polygyny ( Low 1990 ; White and Burton ).
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