Marriage

1. Marriage

2. Marriage
• Marriage, in some for or another, is
found in nearly all human societies. As
such it is seen as a universal or near
universal.
• But how marriage is understood differs
across cultures.

3. Marriage
• In our society, marriage is strongly
linked with love.
• This is not always the case. In some
societies the expectation is you will
learn to love your spouse. However,
other societies completely separate
love and marriage.

4. Marriage
• Recognizes unions between two or
more persons and offers them social
endorsement.
• This endorsement may be legal,
religious or social.

5. Marriage
• Creates bonds between the families of
married people…marriage expands the
family unit.

6. Marriage
• Regulates sexual access. In other
words, determines who it is proper to
have sex with.
• With marriage you can have adultery.

7. Marriage
• Marriage legitimizes children.
• In other words, children have a socially
recognized father as well as mother.

8. Who can get married?
• All societies have rules and regulations
about who can get married to whom.
• These include such things as
relatedness, gender, number of people
and so forth.

9. How many people?
• Monogamous: marriage between two
and only two people
• Polygamous: marriage between three
or more people

10. Polygamous Relationships
• Polygyny (very common): a marriage
with two or more wives.
• Polyandry (very uncommon): a
marriage with two or more husbands.

11. Polygyny
• In societies that recognize polygyny,
having multiple wives often reflects
upon the social status of a man.
• In other words, having multiple wives is
a sign of wealth and power.

12. Concubinage
• A concubine is a woman involved in a
socially recognized relationship with a
man…but usually afforded lower status
than the wife.

13. Polyandry
• Societies that permit polyandry are
much less common.
• The most common form involves the
marriage of a woman to a collection of
brothers.

14. What gender?
• Marriage between members of the
same sex is not a new phenomenon.
• Marriage between two women is found
in a number of African societies, such
as the Kikuyu of East Africa.

15. Exchanges of Wealth
• Cross-culturally, marriage is often
accompanied by an exchange in
wealth.
• Dowry: from the bride’s family to the
groom’s
• Bridewealth: from the groom’s family to
the bride’s.

16. Residence Patterns
• All societies have customs regarding
where the newly married live. These are
called residence patterns.
• Do the married couple (or group) live
with the husband’s family, the wife’s
family or someplace new?

17. Arranging a Marriage in India
• What factors do the parents consider when
looking for a wife for their son?
• Why are some women rejected as
unsuitable?
• What are some reasons the author and
subjects consider arranged marriages to be a
good thing (or not such a good thing)?