In sororate, a widower is required to marry the unmarried sister of his deceased wife. To put it in another way, a woman who is not already married is required to marry her deceased sister’s husband. Sororate is common where a considerable bride-price has been paid and the wife’s family feel obliged to provide another mate for their son-in-law. These two forms of marriages are practised after a primary marriage has been terminated by death of one of the spouses.
Ghost Marriage
This is a form of marriage that requires a living brother to take a wife on behalf of a dead bachelor to raise off springs in the name of the dead person. The Nuer people practise this form of marriage.
Duration Of Marriage
Marriages are universally conceived as a permanent tie, but the society provides a means, whether easy or difficult, of terminating unsuccessful marriages. This is known as divorce. No society encourages divorce but in practice, it is recognised that certain conditions make it better to terminate a marriage than have it continue as a failure and perhaps, as a discouragement to those approaching marriage. Among the Bagandas of East Africa, a man may divorce his wife at will, sending her back to her family and demand the return of the bride price. The Baganda women cannot divorce her husband, however, if she is badly treated, she may run away and claim the aid from of her clansmen. This kind of situation is very common in African societies but now-a-days, spouses in a marriage have equal rights to divorce. Barrenness, impotence, incompatibility, infidelity or adultery and economic incapability are some reasons why couples may decide to terminate their marriage.
