Hypergamy

Hypergamie ( ancient Greek hyper " over " gamos "marriage" ) refers to ethnosociology the " Up marriages " in a higher ranking social group, layer, class or caste. Some groups or (ethnic ) societies have marriage rules by which a woman should marry a man with a higher socioeconomic status than their own. Even the family of the wife, thereby attempting to get a higher reputation. In modern societies Hypergamie indicates a systematic difference between man and woman in intimate relationships, such as that the man is bigger, older or higher status usually.

Hypergame marriages are usually found in societies that organize themselves according to their fathers' patrilineal line. Here marrying a woman of a lower status does not cause a loss of prestige, as common children of the man of the social group are attributed. This can also enjoy economic benefits if the woman as compensation introduces a higher dowry. In stratified societies Hypergamie occurs to avoid endogamous rules for marriage within the same group or layer ( as in the Indian caste system ). In noble families was hypergames marriages as morganatic marriage known ( " left-handed marriage " ), as marriage of a widower or younger sons, if the succession was settled already and therefore the lower status of the wife had no practical effect.

When Hypogamie ( hypo- "under" ) in contrast, the woman has a higher social status than the husband, which take in some societies the children the lower status of the father. This way marriage is, however, more common in societies that organize themselves according to their mothers' matrilineal line, because their children while keeping the status of the wife.

Hyper- and hypo- game rules of marriage, men and women relate differently, depending on their origin rules and the degree of stratification of society, as well as the perception of certain social groups and strata, whether the family of the husband or the wife is considered to be a higher rank. Both rules are firstly directed outward ( exogamous ) because the spouse is sought outside of their own status group or layer. On the other hand, they cooperate with inwardly directed rules ( endogamous ), for example, should the spouse belonging to their own tribe or people, or the same local grouping. Hyper- and Hypogamie are forms of anisogamen marriage ( between " unequal Asked "), which differs fundamentally from the isogamy (marriage among " equals ").