Marriage, sex and power

Veronica Williams wrote a wonderful article on the institution of marriage in the April 30 Times-Call. This is a contract which often benefits older men of economic means and encourages younger women to accept marriage for economic security. While Williams is careful to point out that not all marriages are marriages of convenience, she rightly suggests that marriage is not a benefit to all.

The concept of marriage takes many forms, and one of them was brought up six decades ago by my anthropology professor. He posed this question to the class: twhere there are no restrictions on sex, and you can have sex with anyone who is willing?” The whole class was now paying rapt attention for the first time in the semester.

Waiting to let the question sink in, he said, “You can have all the sex you want if you are living in a matriarchal society, where wealth and power are handed down through the mother. Everyone knows who your mother is — there is never any doubt about that. But your father could be anyone. This is why the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition makes adultery a crime. When wealth and power are inherited through the father, the identity of the father is all that matters. Guys, you can have all the sex you want if you give women control of wealth and power.” Stunned silence.

Women are just as ruthless as men when it comes to wealth and power — every ruthless man got exactly half of his genes from his mother. But there are friends with benefits in a matriarchal society, and perhaps fewer marriages of convenience.

— Michael McNeil, Mead