Material resource investments at marriage: evolutionary, social, and ecological perspectives

Ethnology • Vol/Iss. 50 • University of Pittsburgh • Pittsburgh, Pa • Published In • Pages: 281-304 •
By Huber, Brad R., Breedlove, William L., Danaher, William F.

Abstract

This article focuses on parents’ investment of material resources at the time of their child’s marriage. Two patterns emerge from the data: wealth is generally transferred from the groom’s family to the bride’s and from the couple’s parents to the bride and groom. Social and ecological factors are also examined. Multiple regression analysis shows that paternal confidence level, societal polygyny rate, and level of pathogen stress can affect the aforementioned wealth transfer patterns.
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