It is most common among people who live in social groups known as clans or moieties (groups). 1900. Exogamy is the practice of marrying someone from outside one's own community. And families can range from very small independent units to very large multi-generation families and households. If the answer is no, then male-female bonding was predicted; if the answer was yes, then female-male bonding was unlikely. Pasternak, Burton, Carol R. Ember, and Melvin Ember. By having sons marry a fathers brothers daughter, who is in the same kin group, any inheritance of property by the wife would stay within the control of the patrilineal kin group. Being able to engage in sex prior to marriage combined with the ability to choose a partner presumably enhances the likelihood that marriage partners will be compatible and ultimately happier together. Exogamy is usually defined through kinship rather than ethnicity, religion, or class. Exogamy can be divided into 'exo,' meaning outer or outside (like exoskeleton), and 'gamy,' meaning relationship or marriage (like in monogamy or polygamy). Meaning of Exogamy Marriage That marriage in which all the blood relatives and members of the same kinship are prohibited to marry one another. Of those societies allowing cross-cousin marriage, symmetrical cross-cousin marriage (with both sets of cross-cousins) is much more common than asymmetrical cross-cousin marriage (one side of the family). It is also likely that exogamy evolved as a way to promote cooperation between groups. And families vary in size and composition from a single-parent unit to very large multi-generation families and households. Parallel cousins are related to you through the same gendermothers sisters children and fathers brothers children. my ek-sg--m plural exogamies 1 : marriage outside of a specific group especially as required by custom or law 2 : sexual reproduction between individuals (as of a particular species) that are not closely related exogamous ek-sg--ms adjective or exogamic ek-s-gam-ik More from Merriam-Webster on exogamy There is relatively little known about predictors of rules of exogamy and endogamy, either for the community or for the kin group. 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. Such transactions, such as bride price or dowry, reflect higher involvement in the establishment of a marriage. Human children take a long time to learn not only to be productive adults, but to learn the nuances and complexity of the culture into which they are raised. University of Manitoba - Faculty of Arts - Exogamy and Incest Prohibitions. Why? Other causes of sex ratio imbalance in favor of females include migration of men for work or trade. 2021. It is often called out-marriage due to the importance of looking outside one's group. 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. 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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? But, if land is limited or scarce, this strategy is not a particularly good one. 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. Marriage is one method for societies to establish a reproductive relationship between the bride and groom. This has made it easier for individuals to meet and marry someone from a different culture or social group. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Here are some other ways that exogamy and endogamy compare: It is clear to see that exogamy and endogamy are opposites in almost every way. 2011). religion Cultural exogamy is the custom of marrying outside a specified group of people to which a person belongs. Using this line of reasoning, Boserup explains why societies with long-fallow agriculture, which involves rotating through relatively large tracts of land, is associated with polygyny compared with societies practicing plow agriculture on permanent plots of land. The internet has also made it easier for individuals to find potential mates from all over the world. However, it is important to understand that even where polygyny is generally practiced most men will not have more than one wife at any given point in time. More husband-wife aloofness (Whiting and Whiting 1975; de Munck and Korotayev 2007). Exogamy often results in two individuals that are not closely genetically related marrying each other; that is, outbreeding as opposed to inbreeding. There are a variety of theories about what particular problems make marriage adaptive. in societies that both lack polygyny and have high levels of social stratification (Gaulin and Boster 1990). 1965. The opposite of exogamy is endogamy . [5], In one Old Order Amish society, inbreeding increases the risk of "neonatal and postneonatal mortality. These exercises can be done individually or as part of classroom assignments. Women feel unhappy because of no prior understanding with the members of that family. 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). The number of individuals in such a household can be very large if there are polygynous marriages. Linguistic exogamy is a form of cultural exogamy in which marriage occurs only between speakers of different languages. The exchange of men or women served as a uniting force between groups. 2011a. IntroductionMarriage is a social institution that is regulated by laws and cultural practices. The group defines the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. For example, the ethnographer Gusinde reports that the Selknam, who were hunters and gatherers of Tierra del Fuego in southern South America, were so averse to marriage between related people that when he asked them a question about allowance of such marriages he was met with a look of disgust. 2004. However, this overall finding comes with some qualifications. In both cases, not only did male and female sexual partners live separately with their maternal families, but they did not have regular economic cooperation nor other regular obligations with their sexual partners. Human Relations Area Files, Inc. (HRAF) is an internationally recognized organization in the field of cultural anthropology. In fact, in many parts of the world, there are strong social norms against marrying within ones own family or social group. Why? They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 1. Continue with Recommended Cookies. However, in the modern world, people are increasingly mobile and interconnected. Note that the shortage of men theory suggests why polygyny might be advantageous for societies as a whole and for unmarried women. 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). The term exogamy isnt one thats thrown around in everyday conversation. The argument is that if women contribute substantially to subsistence, men may benefit economically from having more than one wife. In some cases, the rules of exogamy may also specify the outside group into which an individual must marry. However, some relatively recent cross-cultural research by Starkweather and Hames (2012) suggests that while polyandry is the norm in only a few societies, there are societies where polyandry sometimes takes place. Only 31% of societies have full individual choice.2. Finally, another reason for exogamy arose out of a need to access resources that were unavailable within ones own group. Higher divorce rates are predicted by. Though marriage primarily involves developing a social bond between those who are getting married, how their lives are shaped hinges heavily on the type of household they will live in. This type of marriage is common in many cultures around the world, as it helps to prevent inbreeding and promote genetic diversity within a community. So, in a patrilineal society, children will be in the same kin group as their father, their fathers brother, and their fathers brothers children. Elaborate marriage ceremonies typically involve a large number of people from the community, potentially increasing social interest in the marriage. Extended family households range from small two-unit families, to large families with 3-4 generations of related individuals. 2018). Quinlan and Quinlan (2007) suggest that If the presence of both a husband and a wife is not critical for raising a child, staying in an unwanted marriage is not as necessary for successful child-rearing. 2007. medical anthropology If a mother has to leave her hatchlings in a nest when she gathers food, they have little chance of survival. Of the 148 societies in the Standard Cross Cultural Sample which Broude and Green coded 31.1% have full individual choice, 17.6% have individual choice that requires parental approval, 3.4% have individual choice that also require parental arrangement, 18.2% have either individual choice or arranged marriage, 16.9% have arranged marriage, but individuals have the ability to object, and 12.8% have fully arranged marriage., The figures in this paragraph and in the Figure are based on data from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (Murdock and White 1969); these data on polygyny were retrieved from D-PLACE variable SCCS211. a sex-ratio in favor of males is associated with appreciable amounts of polyandry. 2011. 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 India, for example, people looking for a partner are pressured to towards endogamous marriage, to someone from within the same caste. They should also show appreciation and kindness towards each other. 6) Divorce is easier to accomplish STRUCTURAL. (Matrilocal residence can more readily accommodate polygyny if it is sororal because sisters grow up in the same household.). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. necropolis Love as a basis of marriage is antithetical to arranged marriage (Hull 1989). Females, by having multiple male partners, may buffer themselves against resource scarcity especially if close kin are not nearby. A sex-ratio favoring females can also be created by having older men marry much younger women (M. Ember 1984). Exogamy is also practiced for practical reasons. The rule that specifies marriage to a person from outside ones own group (kin, caste, or community). tends to occur in societies with non-intensive agriculture or pastoralism at middle ranges of complexity (Schlegel and Eloul 1988; Evascu 1975). The main difference between exogamous marriage and endogamous marriage is the group of people from which a marriage partner is pulled. Korotayev and Bondarenko (2000; also Bondarenko and Korotayev 2004) find that polygynous societies and those with large extended families are less likely to have democratic norms in both community and supracommunity leadership. Why? The Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS) is a sample of 185 societies. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. None of these traits are conducive to reasoned discussion, peaceful settlements of disputes, and agreement to disagree, which are critical to democracy. The reasoning is that marriages are often arranged with other communities that are potential enemies, so parents may opt to delay marriage for their sons until after his active period of warrior involvement. Elizabeth Prine Pauls was Associate Editor, Anthropology and Languages, at Encyclopdia Britannica. 2018; Minocher, Duda, and Jaeggi 2019), but not in societies with intensive agriculture. The second may be related to that finding that polygyny is associated with lower warmth toward children presumably because mothers have little help in childcare (Korotayev and Bondarenko 2000). Indirect support for the sex-ratio hypothesis comes from research on the presence of polyandrous marriages. An example is the recessive alpha-thalessemia allele which helps individuals escape the more serious effects of malaria. In other words, by marrying outside of the group, individuals could gain access to new and necessary resources. Compromise: Marriage requires compromise . Extended family households are more likely in societies where. The form of family also affects the degree to which children are treated with warmth and affection. Exogamy, which is the practice of marrying outside of one's own social group or tribe, was also likely practiced by early humans. 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). Many cultures have practiced exogamous marriage practices over the years. Manage Settings Moreover, exogamy has been associated with enhanced open communication which ultimately leads to greater mutual understanding and harmony between individuals. 1990. exogamy, also called out-marriage, custom enjoining marriage outside one's own group. In the past, these types of marriages were considered taboo. 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. 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. Second, the relationship appears stronger in societies with simpler forms of agriculture (Osmond 1965). 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. Among the societies with more elaborate ceremonies are the Hopi, of the U.S. Southwest, who practice a wedding ceremony that lasts four days. brideservice The hypothesis is not only strongly predictive, but also predicts well in both agricultural and non-agricultural societies. It is marriage within the group and the group may be caste, class, tribe, race, village, religious group etc.We have caste endogamy, class endogamy, sub caste endogamy . Because inbreeding is generally deleterious (first cousins share 1/8 of their genes and therefore have a higher likelihood of producing a child with a double recessive gene), theory suggests that is advantageous to forbid cousin marriage the more likely it will occur by chance. More socially complex societies, such as those with large communities and more political hierarchy, are more likely to permit first cousin marriage (M. Ember 1975). However, there are also logical flaws to this argument. Complex societies tend to ave specialized or standing armies which means that male mortality in war may only be high among men in the armed forces (M. Ember, Ember, and Low 2007). She coedited. Two families that are connected by at least one blood tie that form a single social and/or economic unit. There are a couple of known exceptions to the claim that marriage is a universal custom. J. F. McLennan[8] holds that exogamy was due originally to a scarcity of women among small bands. Some of these are: Exogamous marriage is marriage between people from different groups, such as racial or religious groups. Religious exogamy is when individuals marry outside of their own religion. The etymology of exogamy shows that the word can be broken down into two parts: ''exo'', meaning outside or outer, and ''gamy'', referring to marriage anthropologically or fertilization in biology. Founded in 1949 at Yale University, HRAF is a not-for-profit membership consortium of universities, colleges, and research institutions. ethnography 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. This is still frowned upon in societies that are highly stratified, such as those with rigid caste systems. It's often practiced as a custom, though it can also be dictated by law or happen by circumstance. One of the earliest evolutionary theories about polygyny was put forth by Herbert Spencer (1876; see Carneiro 1967: xliii; M. Ember 1974; M. 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