The Values and Usefulness of Same-Sex Marriages Among the Females in Igbo Culture in the Continuity of Lineage or Posterity

Evelyn Nwachukwu Urama

doi:10.1177/2158244019850037

Abstract

The Igbo world in Southeastern Nigeria, as a patriarchal society, believes in passing the family inheritance along the male line excluding the female. This sociocultural belief and practice leads to gender role problems, especially in the case of families with no children or male child who will inherit the family estate. Same-sex marriage among women is used to bridge the gap created by the challenges of the socially and culturally constructed gender roles with the aim of “male daughters” and “female husbands” becoming sons and husbands to wives for procreation and continuity of the family’s lineage. Through Gender Studies and Gender and Power theory, this study examines the reasons and benefits of such practices, the risks the practices expose women to, as well as the sociocultural implications of the practice to the Igbo worldview.

Highlights

Marriage is a valued and indispensable obligation that is used to rate the status of men and women in Igbo society in Southeastern Nigeria
Using Gender Studies and Gender and Power theory to analyze the sexual roles of men and women, the psychological and health risks the accepted social and cultural sexual division of power in Igboland expose women to, and how power-imbalanced relationships and gender-based inequalities devalue women in the selected literary texts, this study exposes the values and usefulness of same-sex marriages in Igbo culture and serves to create the consciousness in women to fight for their rights of inheritance through other civilized ways rather than subjecting themselves to cultural practices that sexually devalue them and endanger their lives
A literary analysis of some selected Nigerian literature written by Igbo creative writers portrays that “male daughters,” “female husbands,” and same-sex marriage among women in Igbo culture are cultural devised practices to solve the problems of impotency, barrenness, and male child succession or inheritance syndrome

Summary

Introduction

The practice of male daughters and same-sex marriage among women in Igbo culture does not make Igbo society less heterosexual. The succession and inheritance issues that enforce male child dominance in Igbo culture, form the basis for the “male daughters,” “female husbands,” and same-sex marriage in Igbo culture that endanger the life of women.

Results

Conclusion