The Wedding as a Reproductive Ritual

Abstract

Research on patterns of marriage has determined that marriages serve as a reproductive contract between men and women. Marriage usually lasts for periods of time sufficient to raise a child until he or she can care for himself or herself. Patterns of marriage and divorce also embody features showing that the sexes act in their own reproductive best interests, for example, men initiating divorce later in life to find younger, more fertile partners. With this in mind, this article investigates the rituals, symbols, and ceremonies associated with marriages across several cultures to compile evolutionarily salient events and symbolism. In many cultures, the wedding ceremony contains not only rituals of reproduction and fertility important to both sexes but also displays of wealth and resources on the part of the groom, which is of particular evolutionary interest to females, and symbols of chastity on the part of the bride, which is of particular evolutionary interest to males. Essentially, the wedding is not only a pair-bonding codification but also a display of male and female reproductive goals and strategies.