Talk:Exchange of women

One problem with article
It would be helpful if the article would say what "exchange of women" was in the lead. -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 12:39, 10 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I found it unclear too and so have browsed the sources to get a feel for the topic. It seems to be a commonplace concept in feminist anthropology and I have rewritten the opening sentence to make this clearer and link to the main articles on alliance theory and structuralism, which provide good context. Colonel Warden (talk) 23:17, 30 October 2008 (UTC)


 * It should be simple in the lede. When the incest taboo started, men stopped "marrying" their siblings and started trading them with unrelated men.78.16.50.189 (talk) 09:09, 10 May 2015 (UTC)

Christian tradition
The article states that “Such formal exchange may be seen in the ceremony of the traditional Christian wedding, in which the bride is given to the groom by her father.” Are there any sources to support this? I do not believe this to be a pan-Christian tradition, not even a pan-Catholic one, but rather a specifically English Christian tradition.--Poltecatl (talk) 06:09, 9 August 2013 (UTC)

And by English, I am refering to the English-speaking world, not England per se. There are many Christian traditions where the bride and groom are blessed by both sides of the family and make their way to the wedding ceremony together: “Młodzi podchodzą do wejścia, gdzie czekają na wejście księdza (niekiedy ksiądz podchodzi do młodych i wprowadza ich do kościoła). Młodzi wchodzą przy dźwiękach organów lub skrzypiec.” (http://www.slub.hg.pl/teksty/zwyczaje.htm)--Poltecatl (talk) 06:24, 9 August 2013 (UTC)


 * In that tradition, until around 1800 the father also gave a dowry with his daughter. The dowry was to help raise the children, and was often held in trust for them and her. There are other exchanges, such as a student suggesting to a short-term partner that he/she should sleep with a friend, in such a way that the partner is effectively exchanged around the group in a matter of weeks.78.16.50.189 (talk) 09:05, 10 May 2015 (UTC)