Sororate marriage refers to marriage
between a husband and his wife’s sister. This usually happens when
the husband is widowed; and there is still a need to strengthen the
bond between the two clans (the husband’s and the wife’s). This is an
ancient practice seen in Chinese, Inuit, Sioux, and Swazi people,
among others. The wife’s infertility is also reason for sororate
marriage.
Sororate Marriage
More About Sororate Marriage
There are some evidences that sororate
marriage was practiced by Anglo-Saxon peoples. There is the Deceased
Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Act of 1907, where the United Kingdom’s
parliament legalized the marriage of a man to his dead wife’s sister.
Regardless, the practice of sororate marriage is still uncommon,
given the social disapproval that comes with it.
