Bride theft and raiding for wives in cross-cultural perspective

Anthropological Quarterly • Vol/Iss. 71 • Published In • Pages: 238-252 •
By Ayres, Barbara

Hypothesis

"Table X shows, however, that bride theft is most likely to occur in societies where the father's role is important' (248)

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Fisher’s exact testNot Supportedp<.01UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Bride TheftDependentMode Of Marriage
Father's RoleIndependentFamily Relationships

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Ayres, Barbara"Bride theft represents a delayed and displaced acting out of the Oedipal conflict. Such conflict should be maximized in societies where the probablility of mother-infant seduction was high (mother-child households and mother-infant sleeping arrangements) and where the child's competition with the father was most intense (high father involvement in caretaking)" (248)
Ayres, Barbara"Tylor reported that bride theft was invariably associated with patrilocal residence . . ." (244)
Ayres, Barbara"Although bride theft is somewhat more likely to occur in societies with general polygyny than in societies with limited polygyny or monogamy, the majority (63 percent) of societies with general polygyny do not have bride theft" (241)
Ayres, Barbara"The presence of status differentials within the society which are based upon birth, wealth or occupation is not shown to be related to bride theft" (242-243)
Ayres, Barbara"Table VI shows that there is no relationship between bride theft and norms of premarital sexual behavior. A high valuatin of virginity then, cannot be considered as a causal factor of any general importance" (244)