Marriage is universal institution in humanity but its from varies from society to society. Broadly three types of marriageare found which are based
- Based on no. Of supposes
- Monogamy
- Serial Monogamy
- Non-Serial Monogamy
- Polygamy
- Polygyny
- Sororal Polygyny
- Non-Sororal Polygyny
- Polyandry
- Fraternal or Adelhie Polyandry
- Non-Fraternal or Non-Adelphic Polyandry
- Familial Polyandry
- Polygyny
- Monogamy
- Based on Rules
- Prescriptive Marriage – Exogamy , Endogamy
- Preferential Marriage – Cousin Marriage, Levirate & Sororate
- Based on rarity
Monogramy
It refers to marriage in which one husband & one wife are tied with marital bond.
Example – It is found mainly in modern or complex societies.
- Khasi, Santhal & kadar – due to rules of mating
Features & Reasons
- Family stability & equilibrium are advantage of monogamy
- Economic & population factors in the society tend to limit the number of spouses
- Preferential or prescribed forms of mating limit the no of possible marital linkage e.g Khasi, Santhal & Kadar
- High rate of bride price → limits no of spouse
Types of Monogamy
- Serial Monogamy – It is monogamy characterising the western society
- Consist of pattern of m’age, divorce & another m’age i.e One at a time
- Thus although an Individual is married to only one person a time, over a numbers of year he/she may have had no of spouses
- Non – Serial Monogamy – It refers to life time monogamy
- Mostly in hindu society
Polygamy
It refers to a marriage to more than one person i.e plurality of husbands & wives in marital bonds
Example – it is fairy widespread all over the world ;
- In tribal Indian
Types
- Polygyny
- Polyandry
Polygyny
it refers to marriage in which one common husband is engaged in marital ties with more than one wife.
- Features of such societies – hunter gathers, frequent warfare, primitive agri, horticulture & high role of women in subsistence
- Example – The Baiga, Naga, Gonds & Toda, Naga
- In Pre independent Bengal, practice of Hypergamy leas to polygyny
- More wives in Nagas → status symbol → heroism
- More women → ↑ child → more labour i.e Economic pragmatism ; African tribes & central Indian tribes like Santhal
- Types of Polygyny
- Sororal Polygyny
- Non Sororal Polygyny
Sororal Polygyny
Marriage in which a man is married to two nor more sisters.
Non Sororal Polygyny
Marriage in which wives are not related as sisters.
Polyandry
It refers to marriage in which more than one husbands are engaged in marital ties with a single common wife.
- Found mainly in societies with female infanticide, minimum role in subsistence & mainly involved in childbearing & socialisation
- In Society with high bride price
- Example – It is comparatively restricted in its distribution
- Found in Central & NE Himalayan religion or less whole in the Himalayan region of N-W to Eastern Himalaya
- Tribes – Tibetans, Khasa, Toda, Ladakhi bota & Nayar etc
- Types
- Adelphic / Fraternal Polyandry
- Non-Fraternal or Non-Adelphic Polyandry
- Familial Polyandry
Adelphic or Faternal Polyandry
when serval brothers share same wife
- Tibetan & Khasa of Jaunsar – Dehradoon – Due to economic reasons ; to avoid population pressure on & division of land as scarcity of land. Eldest bro marry & girl automatic wife of all
- In this fatherhood goes to eldest brother
- Toda – due to religious regions belief of female infanticide prevalent → sacrificed to goddess → female imbalance
- Fatherhood voluntary ; performer of bow & arrow ceremony
- Ladakhi Bota
Non-Fraternal or Non-Adelphic Polyandry
Here husband are not brothers of each other
- E.g Nayar of Kerala – are matrilineal warrior tribe → ♂ on frontier → adult ♀ after formally tieiing knot with ritual husband can havae r/l with other males c/l visiting husband.
- Ritual husband enjoy status of father
Familial Polyandry
A female married to father & some simultaneously.
Cousin Marriages
Parallel Cousin Marriage
It is the marriage b/w children of siblings of same sex i.e marriage of offspring of persons of same gender of same generation having common parents.
Types
- Paternal Parallel Cousin Marriage – m’age with father’s brother’s daughter
- Although parallel cousins m’age are very rate, even among them Paternal parallel cousins m’age are common.
- Maternal Parallel Cousin Marriage – m’age with mother’s sister’s daughter
Example – prohibited in 80% to 85% of societies of world due to rules of incest.
- Largely confined to Arabic World.
- Also found in Central Indian Tribes
Reason – As in pastoral life, conflict b/w group & theft of animals common ; so such m’age
- by consolidating the group – ↑ survival of groups
- Economic pragmatism
- Retention of purity of blood
Cross Cousin Marriage
It is types of m’age b/w children of sibling of opposite sex i.e m’age between offspring of persons of diff genders of same generation having common patent.
Types
- Paternal Cross Cousin Marriage – m’age with father’s sister’s daughter e.g Chippewa Indians
- Maternal Cross Cousin Marriage – m’age with mother’s brother’s daughter e.g Lovedu of South Africa, Kachinof Burma
Examples – Discontinuously distributed all over the world & very common in South India.
- Gonds, Bhils, Mikir (Assam) , Chippewa Indians etc
Reasons
- Permanent & closer relationships ; Tribal societies → close socio-economic co-op
- Return of bride money
among Gonds, Known as Dudh Lotwana
Levirate & Sororate
These two types of m’age rules involve special cases of m’age regulation. They go into effect following the death of one of the spouses.
- Occurs with polygyny, patrilocal residence & patrilineal descent.
- Sometimes it is the natural extension of sororal polygamy e.g Arapaho & other plains of Middle East
Levirate
It is the practice of marrying decreased husband’s brother.
Features
- It’s a kind of secondary m’age
- need for a legal heir for the decreased if the primary concern
- A man’s exercise with his levirate duties establishes his claim on his deceased brother’s property.
- It often coincides with polygyny.
- Ensures
- Permanent relations & alliance
- Stops return of bride price
- Question of children upbringing
- Right over decreased bro’s property
- Widow ; socio-Economic support
- Continuity of line if man dies childless.
Examples –
- Very much common in Middle East
- e.g Santhal, ho Saora, Bhuiya, Manda
Junior Levirate -Special type of Levirate when the m’age of the deceased brother’s wife is restricted to younger brother.
Sororate
Sororate is Complementary to the practice of levirate. It is the practice of marrying sister of deceased wife.
- Term also applies when husband of childless woman is given to her sister for m’age in which children born to 2nd are considered as children of childless women.
Features
- Serve useful Social function
- ensure that man who has handed over the Bride price shall have a privilege he is entitled to, like the services of a wife.
Example
- Gond & Kharia Tribe
- Arapaho & other plains of Middle East
Rare Types of Marriage
Uncle Niece Marriage
It is the practice of marriage deceased wife’s sister’s daughter
- E.g Among South Indian Tribes
Sister Exchange or Exchange of Females
In this practice a sister or female relatives of the groom is exchanged for the bride.
Reasons
- In horticultural, egalitarian societies the contribution of women is higher & hence a woman is compensated for other
- Also when economic aspects dominate, like in societies with dowry /bride price, compensation has to be paid for women i.e Compensatory device in terms of bride price
Example
- Ex. Horticultural, egalitarian societies like TIV of West Africa & Yanamamo of Venezuela – Brazil have high status of women
- Ex – Nirankaris have sister exchange Due to economic aspect
- Eg. Urulis, Malapunduram
Fictive Marriage
Ghost & Mono-sexual m’age among African tribes.
- e.g – Rodi Marriage Among Gurung Tribe, Nuer Tribe
Adoptive Marriage
It is the practice in which the family adopt son in law as son & marry daughter to them.
- e.g ins one Families in Japan
Group Marriage
This concept is related to primitive promiscuity for sexual communism. It refers to a type of m’age in which the right & obligation of m’age r/l are held in common among the group men & women.
Features
- it is m’age of two or more women with two or more men at a time
- I.e the marriage in which sets of males & sets of females share equal rights over each other,
Example – Marquesans of Polynesia
Origin –
- Classical evolutionist, L.H Morgan held that this was the earliest form of m’age
- As Group m’age can’t lead to the establishment of well-defined family, so many Ⓟ like Rivers argued this form of m’age never existed in any society.
Conclusion of Types of M’age – To conclude it can be said that m’age is universal biopsychic phenomenon which serves different purposes. Though different types of marriage exist, monogamy is the commonest type of m’age in today’s modern society.
