Kung San Trial Marriages and U.S. Divorce Rates.
The!Kung San are a hunter-gatherer people that inhabit the Kalahari desert in Africa. They are the Bushmen who have managed to live a contented, self-governed life while the rest of the world has sprung up around them in a mass of technology and dysfunction. They live a community life where the economy is based on sharing and "among the first words a child learns are na ("give it to me") and ihn ("take this")" (Shostak 2000:44) giving outsiders the impression of a quaint carefree nomadic life.
Nevertheless there are many similarities shared between Americans and the!Kung San, some of which are as simple as equal love for their children, to the interesting arrangements of a 'trial marriage'. A!Kung trial marriage could be acquainted with people living together before getting married, or cohabiting as part of a condition before marriage, depending on religious or multi-cultural backgrounds.
Such similarities are also present in 'de facto unions' where "trial' unions are common among those planning to marry in the future, but on the condition that they have the experience of a union without a marriage bond. This is a kind of "conditioned stage" for marriage, similar to "trial" marriage, but, different from this, a certain social recognition is presumed" (Council 2000:4.)
For the!Kung, these trial marriages ensure not only that they are compatible but they can endure each other through the difficulties of parenthood and, in a nutshell, be civil to one another. It is a part of the relationship process that counteracts such modern social positions like 'de facto parents' and above all, 'divorce'. While the!Kung view trial marriages as an important stage in a woman's life, Western views often associate cohabitation as being an equal decision by both parties involved in the relationship and does not necessarily lead to marriage. Another important aspect would be the!Kung's views on co-wives, which in the western world would be more acquainted with cheating on a spouse, or more likely, polygamy.
Shostak says that children spend most of their first...
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