Widow inheritance

Widow inheritance

Widow inheritance, also known as bride inheritance, is a type of marriage in which a widow marries a kinsman of her late husband, often his brother. It can have various forms and functions in different cultures, serving in relative proportions as a social protection for, and control over, the widow and her children. She may have the "right" to require her late husband's extended family to provide her with a new man, or conversely she might have the "obligation" to accept the man put forward by the family, with no real prospect of turning him down, if her birth family will not accept her back into their home. The custom ensures that the wealth does not leave the patrilineal family.

A form of widow inheritance existed in ancient Judaism; see article at "yibbum". It is known in India [http://www.datamationfoundation.org/women3.htm] . It is common in certain African groups, for example the Luo in Kenya and Uganda around Lake Victoria. As it is a mechanism for the transmission of HIV within a given social community, women are increasingly challenging this custom as an abuse of their human rights.

ee also

* Levirate marriage, the term by which this practice is better known

References

Further reading

* http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1119863,00.html
* http://www.ifad.org/gender/learning/challenges/widows/55.htm
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3275451.stm


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