CROSS-CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS: SEXUAL TABOOS IN MARRIAGE
Many societies forbid sexual relations between marital partners during menstruation, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. In general, these taboos reflect fear of the woman’s power to contaminate at these times, though the postpartum taboos also serve as a control on fertility by spacing births. Such spacing serves as a protective health measure for both the lactating mother and the nursing child, and also assures that she will not be burdened with two children needing to be carried, an important consideration in foraging societies (Friedl).
Menstruating women historically have been held to have the power to pollute and to contaminate food, utensils, and livestock, and to harm men by weakening them or bringing them bad luck in hunting or war. Among the Baganda, for example, a menstruating wife may not touch anything belonging to her husband, nor may she cook his food. Were she to handle any article of his, he would fall ill; if she touched his weapons, he would be killed in the next battle. She also has the power to dry up wells and spoil milk (Frazer). Among the East Bay Melanesian in Davenport’s group, intercourse was avoided during the woman’s menstrual period because the flow was extremely repulsive. Women were not secluded during their periods, a common practice elsewhere, but they did not cook for their husbands.
Pregnancy and postpartum taboos also are very common. The Mangaians, however, can have intercourse with their wives up until the onset of labor. In East Bay, there is no postpartum taboo, although husbands are supposed to give their wives at least a month to recuperate from giving birth.
Such taboos and practices seem to be less related to attitudes toward sex than to attitudes toward women. Their prevalence is widespread among both literate and nonliterate groups, and there is much literature describing them (e.g., Delaney and others).
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