Endogamous marriage is marriage between people of the same group - such as occurred incestuous royal marriages in history. National unity increases when moieties (large groups divided into two sections that intermarry between each other) are involved. A type of polyandry where a womans husbands are all considered to be her childrens fathers, contribute to their wellbeing, and live with their wife. Yes. Simple exogamy is in practice in the Indian tribes and North American. Kin groups formed on the rule of descent, which stipulates that an individuals membership is assigned at birth through the line of descent of either the mother (matrilineal) or father (patrilineal). 2021. Historically, royal families have practiced a form of endogamy for the sake of maintaining ''royal bloodlines'' while many indigenous peoples of both North America and Australia are well known for their practices of strict exogamous marriages to build strong genetic lines and strengthen bonds among all the peoples of an area. Why? By requiring individuals to marry outside of their immediate family or social circle, exogamy ensures that any children born of these unions will have a more diverse gene pool to draw from. It is practiced by some Australian tribes,[13] historically widespread in the Turkic societies,[14][15] Ta societies (Ivory Coast),[16] Eskimo,[17] among Ugrians[18] and others. 2016. negative attitudes towards female premarital sex (Apostolou 2017). It does not maintain the purity of blood and separation of groups. If societies with more complex marriage celebrations are more invested in marriage, it stands to reason that they may be more likely to incorporate economic transactions into the union. In endogamous, marriages with the same families are prohibited. But recognition does not necessarily mean an elaborate ceremony. In contrast, a man and woman in a more-or-less stable union not only share one set of children, but have no conflicts regarding other children to support. In some cases, the rules of exogamy may also specify the outside group into which an individual must marry. 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California in 1973: Summary & Decision, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): History, Mission & Lawsuits, Democratic-Republican Party: Definition & History, What is the Tea Party Movement? These exercises can be done individually or as part of classroom assignments. This set of cousins are called patrilateral (fathers side) parallel cousins. extended families and/or unilineal descent groups (Stephens 1963; Lee and Stone 1980). The exchange of men or women served as a uniting force between groups. Why? Such transactions, such as bride price or dowry, reflect higher involvement in the establishment of a marriage. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There are many advantages to the practice of exogamy. Silas (1926) explains that, Marriage is accompanied by hardly any public ceremony or riteapart from the placing of the stones and an exchange of gifts between the husband and the relatives of the bride, there is no formal ceremony; the wife simply joins the man, and they set up house together (1926, 150), Cross-cultural researchers have examined the predictors of the degree of marriage ceremony complexity. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. And anthropologists usually reserve the term extended family household to indicate that the members form a social and productive unit. As part of defensive masculinity, women are often derogated. There are many negative outcomes in adulthood associated with low parental warmth, including low self-evaluation, less generosity, a negative worldview, and more hostility and aggression. 6 main causes of divorce: 1) Rise of individualism. exogamy, also called out-marriage, custom enjoining marriage outside ones own group. is associated with bride theft (Ayres 1974). Explaining Human Culture. 2003. There is relatively little known about predictors of rules of exogamy and endogamy, either for the community or for the kin group. One estimate is 70% of societies allowing cross-cousin marriage allow symmetrical compared with 30% for asymmetrical cousin marriage (Coult 1965). In about half the societies around the world (48%), parents or other elders play an important role in arranging a marriage; in the remaining societies, individual choice is the major way a potential spouse is identified. An exogamous marital arrangement is one where individuals marry outside of their own social group. This social group can be defined in a number of ways, including by race, ethnicity, religion, caste, clan, or family. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,100],'anthropologyreview_org-leader-4','ezslot_9',146,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-anthropologyreview_org-leader-4-0');Ethnic exogamy is when individuals marry outside of their own ethnic group. Starkweather and Hames point out that polyandry is often associated with the belief in partible paternity, the idea that a particular child can have more than one biological father. Blumberg and Winch found support for the curvilinear hypothesis both with data from a nonindustrial sample and then also with data from a country sample. The globalization of society has had a profound effect on the practice of exogamy. exogamy, also called out-marriage, custom enjoining marriage outside one's own group. Exogamy is the practice of marrying outside one's group, clan, or kinship. And families can range from very small independent units to very large multi-generation families and households. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In contrast, in socially simpler societies, the entire population of able-bodied men may be expected to be warriors.6. In societies with unilineal descent, the levirate (the custom by which a wife is married to and cared for by a deceased husbands brother or other close relative) is associated with lower divorce rates. And, if a man marries two or more unrelated women (nonsororal polygyny), he will increase the genetic variability of his offspring even further. Why? They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. To be an extended family household, members need not live in the same dwelling. Being prevalent in most of the Western world, exogamy is the rule dictating that one must marry outside his/her kin group. However, in modern times it has become more common for people of different religions to marry one another. So, in a patrilineal society, children will be in the same kin group as their father, their fathers brother, and their fathers brothers children. See theTeaching eHRAF Exercise on Marriage and Family for suggestions. Greater sexual regulation of women (Frayser 1985). Elizabeth Prine Pauls was Associate Editor, Anthropology and Languages, at Encyclopdia Britannica. Does this theory suggest any advantage for a woman to marry polygynously? 2007. The authors postulate that, in the absence of a social network system to support people when they grow old, having children is vital for parents future survival. Indigenous groups of North America and Australia are exogamy examples as these groups were known to have created strict exogamous practices for their people. Why? Dr. Alston has taught intro psychology, child psychology, and developmental psychology at 2-year and 4-year schools. Strengthening of the genetic pool, thus reducing birth defects. 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). 1974. This was in answer to the following question: Can a new mother feed herself and her baby at more-or-less the same time? Caste exogamy is when individuals marry outside of their own caste. Create your account. Societies with the highest degree of social stratification have less polygyny (Minocher, Duda, and Jaeggi 2019), which is contrary to the idea that male inequality generally will favor polygyny. Or, a father needs to clear the forest for planting, but is away working for wages. Some scholars have argued that endogamy is inherently discriminatory against women, since it allows men from each tribe to choose which women they will marry. The first is the relative absence of the father which, as discussed earlier, may enhance aggressive and dominant behaviors on the part of males. Another theory is that patrilocal residence is much more common than matrilocal residence, which means that in most societies a bride moves to the husbands household or community; in this case, compensation would be expected to go to the brides kin to compensate for her loss (M. Ember 1970; Huber, Danaher, and Breedlove 2011b). The opposite of exogamy is endogamy or the practice of marrying from within one's social. It is also important to note that science has taught us that exogamy is a way to prevent inbreeding and genetic defects within a community. low emphasis on love as a basis for marriage (Hull 1989). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 1900. A division of labor by gender is a cultural universal and it is proposed that marriage is a way for females and males to productively share the results of their varied subsistence tasks. matrilocal Individual or nuclear family wealth is spread across a broad spectrum in exogamous cultures. Ancient Rome A sex-ratio favoring females can also be created by having older men marry much younger women (M. Ember 1984). Small size communities and greater variation in rainfall (Dow, Reed, and Woodcock 2016). God Outbreeding: the practice of breeding between individuals who are not closely related. However, this overall finding comes with some qualifications. Why? Keywords: Adat sanctions, exogamy, marriage, Tenganan, Bali. However, sometimes parents still have to approve the choice. 1969. Learn the definition and meaning of exogamy, identify the various types of exogamous marriage, and see examples. Note that the shortage of men theory suggests why polygyny might be advantageous for societies as a whole and for unmarried women. Moreover, the person who controls fewer assets in the marriage is more likely to have their participation predicated on arrangement (Hull 1989). But since women in the Arab Khalifate region are typically secluded, women would be unlikely to be able to cultivate their portion of land, leaving it to be controlled by her husband. Kenya A more recent example is the Mosuo or Na of Yunnan in southwest China. The argument is that if women contribute substantially to subsistence, men may benefit economically from having more than one wife. Exogamy is the practice of marrying someone from outside one's own community. However, there are also logical flaws to this argument. Why? The Embers did put forward a new theory which did predict male-female bonding well. Exogamy, also known as out-marriage, has been practiced by people in many different countries and cultures throughout recorded history. Although this finding seems contrary to the principle that high levels of inbreeding are generally deleterious, there are some pathogens for which recessive genes have been shown to lessen the serious consequences of the disease. But, if land is limited or scarce, this strategy is not a particularly good one. Informal polyandry is where two or more men are recognized as fathers and provide some help to the same woman and her children. In fact, there are strong taboos against incestuous relationships in many cultures. While first cousin marriage may have higher risk of offspring carrying harmful double recessive genes, severe population loss makes it more difficult to find eligible mates in societies that are already relatively small. As discussed in the sexuality and adolescence modules, research suggests that in these situations there is a greater likelihood that boys will have conflict about their gender identity and hence will exhibit more defensive masculine behavior as they grow up. 1965. Unlike most online dictionaries, we want you to find your word's meaning quickly. Hence, it is more efficient and economical for the man and woman who share the child (or children) to cooperate. Endogamy: the practice of marrying within ones own social group. Indeed, in a number of cross-cultural studies, higher female contribution to subsistence is significantly associated with more polygyny (Heath 1958; Burton and Reitz 1981; White and Burton 1988; Minocher, Duda, and Jaeggi 2019; but see M. Ember 1984). The Selknam, on the Life and Thought of a Hunting People of the Great Island of Tierra Del Fuego., Sexual Division of Labor and Cross-Cultural Research., Factors Influencing the Allowance of Cousin Marriages in the Standard Cross Cultural Sample., Marriage, Authority, and Final Causes: A Study of Unilateral Cross-Cousin Marriage., Explaining Monogamy and Polygyny Among Foragers and Horticulturalists., Material Resource Investments at Marriage: Evolutionary, Social, and Ecological Perspectives., New Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Marriage Transactions., The Economics of Misbehavior, Love and Marriage Contract Enforcement., D-PLACE: A Global Database of Cultural, Linguistic and Environmental Diversity. Here are some of the main findings. So, what is exogamy? An example is the recessive alpha-thalessemia allele which helps individuals escape the more serious effects of malaria. Lee, Gary R., and Lorene Hemhill Stone. Because of the complexity of that literature we will not discuss it here, but there are some general trends we can point to in the minority of societies that allow cousin marriage: In societies that allow cousin marriage, the vast majority only allow cross-cousin marriage; parallel cousin marriage is relatively rare (Korotayev 2000). Therefore allowing some cousin marriage is not as problematic for overall reproduction of the group. Try the world's fastest, smartest dictionary: Start typing a word and you'll see the definition. Exogamy is a widely practiced marriage custom whereby individuals marry outside of their social group. He said that a people had religious respect for the blood of a totemic clan, for the clan totem is a god and is present especially in the blood, a sacred substance. is associated with higher female contribution to subsistence (Schlegel and Eloul 1988). Note that bride price transfers wealth horizontally within the parental generation. Higher divorce rates are predicted by. When you use one ofthese affiliate links,the company compensates us. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. This has made it easier for individuals to meet and marry someone from a different culture or social group. Ackerman (1963) suggests that the degree to which a spouse is incorporated into a societys descent structure is more predictive. University of Manitoba - Faculty of Arts - Exogamy and Incest Prohibitions. That marriage in which all the blood relatives and members of the same kinship are prohibited to marry one another. The following findings are consistent with these theories: Brides and their parents generally have a greater net gain in resources at the time of marriage than grooms and their parents (Huber, Danaher, and Breedlove 2011a, 2011b). Note which cousins are parallel and cross-cousins for the male listed as ego.. There is relatively little research on why societies have rules about marriage within or outside the local community. This finding is consistent with anecdotal evidence that arranged marriage customs tend to break down with modernization. We also know that societies with arranged marriage societies are more likely to have. Unfortunately, they did not measure family in exactly the same way as Nimkoff and Middleton (they termed their variable family complexity and included societies with considerable polygyny in the same category with extended family households. In other cultures, social recognition of marriage is dependent on a successful trial period. In addition, while extended families are associated with agriculture and sedentariness, the associations are very not very strong (Pasternak, Ember, and Ember 1976). Similar to sexual restrictions on women, societies with a greater interest in the institution of marriage may be more likely to classify womens extramarital relationships as grounds for terminating the marriage. high dependence on animal husbandry (also Ross et al. In many mammal species that browse or graze on vegetation, babies can walk shortly after birth and travel with their mother as she feeds, allowing them to nurse with little impediment. 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. The minority of societies have independent family households. But why polygyny? In the diagram below, a circle stands for a female, a triangle for a male, and an equal sign for a marriage. medical anthropology 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). The hypothesis is not only strongly predictive, but also predicts well in both agricultural and non-agricultural societies. Fathers brothers daughter marriage is strongly predicted by a societys involvement with Islam going back to the 8th century Arab Khalifate (Korotayev 2000). 2018). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. tends to occur in societies with non-intensive agriculture or pastoralism at middle ranges of complexity (Schlegel and Eloul 1988; Evascu 1975). Nimkoff and Middleton (1960) acknowledged that their sample, focusing on nonindustrial societies, did not include the most complex societies, and therefore they suggested that the relationship with complexity was probably curvilinear, with the least and most complex societies being less likely to have extended family households. Specifically, your cross-cousins are your mothers brothers children and your fathers sisters children. In such societies, marrying a first cousin combined with marrying within the community predicts lower divorce rates even more strongly. They should also show appreciation and kindness towards each other. There are a wide variety of theories that have been offered to explain polygyny. type of marriage limited to only one spouse at any given time. Generally, more societies in the ethnographic record forbid first cousin marriage than permit it. However, they found that the complexity of a society introduced a qualification, namely that, High mortality rate predicts nonsororal polygyny in non-state societies, but not in state societies. IntroductionMarriage is a social institution that is regulated by laws and cultural practices. Exogamous marriage or exogamy is the custom of marrying outside a specified group of people to which a person belongs. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. In some parts of the world, arranged marriages are still common, and exogamy is often seen as a way to prevent families from being too closely related to each other. In a comparative study of 40 mammal and bird species (M. Ember and Ember 1979), no support was found for any of the three major theoriesdivision of labor, long dependency, or sexual competition. Another type of dowry is indirect dowry. Cultural exogamy is the custom of marrying outside a specified group of people to which a person belongs. Minturn, Leigh, Martin Grosse, and Santoah Haider. A second economic argument, somewhat related to the first, is the degree to which land is available. 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. Endogamous marriage is that which is controlled by the some group. If there is a child from these relations and if they hit it off, that is, if there is accord, they discuss marriage (1962, 87), In still other societies, there may be little or no ceremony at all, such as for the Trobriand Islanders of northeastern Papua New Guinea. Relatively small societies that have recently experienced severe loss of population due to introduced disease and that are also relatively small (more than 1,000 but less than 25,000 in the society) are more likely to allow first cousin marriage (M. Ember 1975). Why? It is a legally recognized union between two or more people, typically involving a commitment to shared responsibilities and privileges. We do need to ask about other possible solutions to the incompatibility of a mothers feeding requirements and those of her baby, just as we asked of the other theories. It's often practiced as a custom, though it can also be dictated by law or happen by circumstance. Feed herself and her children to follow citation style rules, there are a variety. For marriage ( Coult 1965 ) kenya a more recent example is the degree to which spouse. The male listed as ego it can also be created by having older men much... 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Regulation of women ( Frayser 1985 ) made to follow citation style rules, are...