Sex and Marriage
Marriage
A socially recognized enduring union between two or more adults who
publicly acknowledge their rights and obligations and form a new
alliance between kin groups.
• Purposes of marriage
• To legitimize the children (kinship).
• To regulate procreation rights to the spouses.
• To share in the labor and property of the other spouse.
• Establish property for the benefit of the children.
• Establish relationship between spouses and relatives.
• Case Studies
• Cheyenne Two-spirit
male/”female” marriage between a male and a two-spirit
Why marry a two-spirit?
• Nandi of Kenya
• Female/”female husband” marriage.
• A married woman with no male heir becomes a “female husband”.
• The female husband marries a wife.
• The son of the wife will have rights to the female husband’s and husband’s
lineage.
• Why?
• Mosuo of China
• no marriage and no father investment in own children.
• Movie: “A World without Fathers or Husbands”
• Economics of Marriage
• Bridewealth : gift of money or goods from the groom’s family to the bride’s
family.
• offset cost of losing economic contributions of bride and children/ solidify
marriage
• Trobriand Islands
Dowry: transfer of goods or money from the bride’s family to the bride.
Usually found where women’s economic contribution is minimal (e.g.
intensive agriculture)
Traditional China
Bride service: the groom works for the brides family.
Ju’/wasi
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Universal Incest Taboo
All modern cultures prohibit marriage and intercourse between closely
related relatives such as parents and children or siblings.
• Is it biological?
occurs in 38 mammals
functions to maintain genetic diversity within a group.
• Is it cultural?
• The definition of incest differs by culture.
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Yanomamo: cross-cousin marriage preferred but parallel cousin considered
incest.
• forces people to maintain a wide social network by extending relations with
people not in their group.
• How many does one marry?
• Monogamy: marriage between one man and one woman.
Serial monogamy: series of monogamous partners in succession
common in the US.
• Polygyny: one man with numerous wives.
• usually in societies where women are important to economics and/or where
there is an excess of available women.
• Why Polygyny?
• Polyandry: one woman with numerous men.
• aids in avoiding resource shortages and limits population growth.
• Some Tibetans in Nepal practice polyandry.
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