- Sororate marriage
Sororate marriage is the sociological
custom of a man marrying (or engaging insexual activity with) his wife's sister (rarely with her brother), usually after the wife is dead or has proven infertile.From an anthropological standpoint, this type of marriage strengthens the ties between both groups (the wife's family or clan and the husband's) and preserves the contract between the two to provide children and continue the alliance.
The
Inuit people (formerly known as Eskimos) of northernAlaska ,Canada andGreenland follow or followed this custom. Fact|date=May 2007 Sororate marriage is also practiced bySwazi people and for the same reasons as stated. Fact|date=May 2007ee also
*
Anticipatory sororate
*Levirate marriage
*Sororal polygymyLevirate and junior sororate [1] are permitted for those from the Hindu Bania caste.
[1] http://areapedia.is2c.com/?q=Bania
References
* [http://www.odd-sex.com/index.htm The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices]
*O'Neil,Dr. Dennis. Marriage Rules: Part II. July 12, 2005. Behavioral Science Department. Nov. 1, 2005 [http://anthro.palomar.edu/marriage/marriage_4.htm]
*Kottak, Conrad P.. Window on Humanity. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies inc., 2005
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