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countries legalized same-sex marriages. In 2003, so did Canada, followed by several U.S. states. In 2008, California approved same-sex marriages, and a few months later banned them.

Same-sex marriages sound so new, but when Columbus landed in the Americas, some Native American tribes were already practicing same-sex marriages. Through a ceremony called the berdache, a man or woman who wanted to be a member of the opposite sex was officially declared to have his or her sex changed. The “new” man or woman put on the clothing of the opposite sex, performed the tasks associated with his or her new sex, and was allowed to marry.

Even sexual relationships don’t universally characterize marriage. The Nayar of Malabar never allow a bride and groom to have sex. After a three-day celebration of the marriage, they send the groom packing—and never allow him to see his bride again (La Barre 1954). This can be a little puzzling to figure out, but it works like this: The groom is “borrowed” from another tribe for the ceremony. Although the Nayar bride can’t have sex with her hus- band, after the marriage she can have approved lovers from her tribe. This system keeps family property intact—along matrilineal lines.

At least one thing has to be universal in marriage—that the bride and groom are alive. So you would think. But even in such a basic matter we find an exception. On the Loess Plateau in China, if a man dies without a wife, his parents look for a dead woman to be his bride. After finding one—from parents willing to sell their dead unmarried daughter— the dead man and woman are married and then buried together. Happy that their son will have intimacy in the afterlife, the parents throw a party to celebrate the marriage (Fremson 2006). This is an ancient Chinese practice, and it used to be that the couple was buried in a double coffin (Yao 2002).

With such encompassing cultural variety, we can define marriage this way—a group’s approved mating arrangements, usually marked by a ritual of some sort (the wedding) to indicate the couple’s new public status.

Common Cultural Themes Despite this diversity, several common themes run through marriage and family. As Table 10.1 illustrates, all societies use marriage and family to establish patterns of mate selection, descent, inheritance, and authority. Let’s look at these patterns.

Marriage and Family in Global Perspective 303

marriage a group’s approved mating arrangements, usually marked by a ritual of some sort

TABLE 10.1 Common Cultural Themes: Marriage in Traditional and Industrialized Societies

Characteristic Traditional Societies Industrial (and Postindustrial) Societies

What is the structure Extended (marriage embeds spouses in a large Nuclear (marriage brings fewer obligations of marriage? kinship network of explicit obligations) toward the spouse’s relatives)

What are the functions Encompassing More limited (many functions are fulfilled by of marriage? (see the six functions listed on p. 465) other social institutions)

Who holds authority? Patriarchal (authority is held by males) Although some patriarchal features remain, authority is divided more equally

How many spouses at Most have one spouse (monogamy), while some One spouse one time? have several (polygamy)

Who selects the spouse? Parents, usually the father, select the spouse Individuals choose their own spouse

Where does the couple Couples usually reside with the groom’s family Couples establish a new home (neolocal live? (patrilocal residence), less commonly with residence)

the bride’s family (matrilocal residence)

How is descent Usually figured from male ancestors (patrilineal Figured from male and female ancestors figured? kinship), less commonly from female ancestors equally (bilineal kinship)

(matrilineal kinship)

How is inheritance Rigid system of rules; usually patrilineal, but Highly individualistic; usually bilineal figured? can be matrilineal

Source: By the author.